Election campaigning has begun in earnest now that Parliament has risen for the year.

Billboards have been put up, taken down, and put up again, politicans are debating in town halls and broadcast studios around the country, and polls are receiving more scrutiny than usual.

At the Labour Party launch this weekend, Jacinda Ardern, acknowledged 2020 will be a Covid-19 election.

Fire engines were called this morning to an isolation hotel on the Terrace in Wellington.

Reporter Charlotte Cook is outside the Grand Mercure hotel.

The New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko is holding onto a four shot lead midway through the final round of the Marathon Classic in Ohio. Ko, who is 2 under par thru the first 9 holes today, is chasing her 16th LPGA Tour victory and her first in 2 years.

The Crusaders have won the inaugural Super Rugby Aotearoa with a come from behind victory against the Highlanders in Christchurch on Sunday.

They scored three unanswered tries in the last 20 minutes.

Covid-19 has touched every continent on earth - apart from Antarctica.

Keeping the virus out is top of mind for Antarctica New Zealand, which has already reduced the size of the contingent it's sending south this year.

Now it's taking an extra step: a two-week quarantine for anyone hoping to board a flight to Scott Base, even Kiwi already in New Zealand.

Sarah Williamson is the CEO of Antarctica New Zealand.

Some New Zealand cancer patients are going without potentially life-saving treatment because of rising Covid-19 cases in Melbourne.

The patients have neuro-endocrine cancers, known as NETs, treatment for which is not available in this country.

Patients are deeply worried and urgently awaiting word from the Health Ministry and others about what accomodations might be made for them - either here, or in Australia.

Michelle Sullivan, the chief executive of the Unicorn Foundation, which supports pepople with neuro-endocrine cancers, speaks to Corin Dann.

The Transport Agency faced with broken highways, has staked a billion dollars on a roadbuilding method that is unproven and is difficult to get right.

The technique is being rolled out in Waikato at the same time as the liability on the taxpayer when roads go wrong has increased.

Phil Pennington is looking into this.

The Red Cross is giving out 40,000 dollars worth of food vouchers a day to foreigners stranded in New Zealand by Covid-19 and is warning the crisis is worsening daily.

Among those receiving help are backpackers sleeping in cars, and a seasonal worker from Vanuatu who has recently given birth.

Anusha Bradley reports.

Another person has attempted to break into an isolation hotel, this time in Auckland.

The man tried to break in on Friday. It's the second attempt in a seven days, after an attempted break in to a hotel in Rotorua on Thursday night last week.

RNZ reporter Jordan Bond has the details.

The Provincial Growth Fund is bankrolling a horse-racing track in Christchurch to the tune of $10.5 million despite officials saying the project is ineligible because it is in a city not a province.

The track is one of two new synthetic, all weather horse racing tracks, championed by New Zealand First, which have got more than $20 million in PGF funding.

But documents obtained by RNZ show officials said the projects did not meet the PGF's criteria and they had doubts about whether they would create permanent jobs.

Investigative Journalist Guyon Espiner has the story.