Watch: Voting opens today, Chris Hipkins tests positive for Covid and South Island and Wellington brace for damaging winds

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VOTING BOOTHS OPEN

Advanced voting starts today, with more than 400 stations open across the country.

They include setups in shopping areas, transport hubs, community halls, and marae.

Chief electoral officer Karl Le Quesne says the number of voting places will continue to grow.

There’s a big turnout expected from advanced voters, with 68 per cent of Kiwis filling in their forms before 2020′s election day.

HIPKINS IN ISOLATION

Labour may need to change gear for the next week of election campaigning.

Party leader and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has Covid, and will isolate for five days, or until he tests negative.

His deputies Kelvin Davis and Carmel Sepuloni will take his place on the campaign trail.

Former Labour chief of staff Neale Jones says Labour will likely start using online tools more.

Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins at Cordis in Auckland at the announcement of Labour's fiscal plan. Photo / Dean Purcell

CRYPTOSPORIDIUM CASES KEEP CLIMBING

A leading health professor is calling on councils around the country to ensure their drinking water is up to scratch.

It comes as cases of Queenstown’s cryptosporidium outbreak reach 56. The source is still unknown.

Queenstown’s Council announced on Friday it’s secured a temporary protozoa treatment barrier for the Two Mile water plant, but it’s not expected to be completed until early December.

Public Health Professor Michael Baker says this outbreak is a reminder of the importance of source water protection.

WILD WINDS ON THE WAY

South Islanders and Wellingtonians are being warned to brace for another day of wild weather.

NIWA is forecasting strong to damaging winds today.

Three road snowfall warnings are also in place - namely State Highway 94 Milford Road, Crown Range Road, and State Highway 8 - the Lindis Pass.

MetService forecaster Gerard Bellam says there are wind warnings in the South Island, and from Wellington up the East Coast.

SINKHOLE REPAIRS CONTINUE

Work is continuing on repairing a tennis-court sized sinkhole in central Auckland.

Watercare has spent the weekend jetting water into the blocked section, and sucking out loose material with a powerful vacuum.

It’s set to begin putting together the route, to build the overland bypass solution for transferring wastewater this week.

The bypass has been secured with pipes from one of their existing projects, with the rest coming in from a Whanganui company.

Chief operations officer Mark Bourne, says Friday’s 10-day target to install the bypass is ambitious, but they’re confident they can get it done on time.

The collapsed sewer sinkhole on St Geroge's Bay Rd in Parnell, Auckland. Photo / Watercare