RADIO STAR'S DREAM COME TRUE 'I'M HAVING MY BABY IN THE BAY!'

Award-winning RNZ journalist Alexa Cook reveals she's expecting her first child

- Eva Bradley

After seven hard months building a cottage on the farm she grew up on in Central Hawke's Bay, RNZ reporter Alexa Cook has landed in a life she once thought might always stay just out of reach – a shift back to her rural roots, a home in the country and now the biggest milestone of all, expecting her first child.

“It feels like everything has finally come together,” explains Alexa, 34, as she relaxes on the almost-finished deck of her new home beneath the Ruahine Range, her beloved horses grazing nearby.

“Pregnancy has been more enjoyable than I thought it would be. It's incredible what your body can do. From about week 14, I've really enjoyed it.”

Due in the first week of the new year, Alexa and her husband Jason Blanchard, 35, have chosen to keep the baby's sex a surprise, but he or she has already brought a sense of joy and anticipation that's woven itself through everything else happening in their lives this year.

“Jase really wanted a surprise,” she laughs. “I thought that would be cool because there aren't many of those left in life any more.”

It's been almost 18 months of total transformation for the hardworking couple. In July last year, Alexa was working for Newshub in Wellington, having just won News Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards. The shock closure of The newsroom and redundancy left her devastated.

But she was soon snapped up by RNZ, where her work has again seen her scoop top industry recognition, including Best Journalist at the 2025 NZ Radio and Podcast Awards, and filling in as Morning Report presenter on the station.