Henry Cooke | The Spinoff

Henry Cooke

Henry Cooke was chief political reporter at Stuff. He now lives in London.

Henry Cooke

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a man (the prime minister Chris Luxon) in a suit on a blue-to-red gradient backgroun with a silver pendulum ball swinging away from him

A deep dive into the voters swinging away from National and Luxon

The cover of Grant Robertson's memoir, Anything Could Happen, which has a photo of Grant Robertson on it wearing glasses.

The prime minister we almost had: Grant Robertson’s memoir, reviewed

Winston Peters intervened to stop diplomat accounts posting about Pride Month

Image showing two rows of houses: the top row is red with a red sky, and the bottom row is blue. White check marks overlay the entire image, creating a red and blue contrast with a mix of abstract and realistic elements.

Who gets to embrace ‘abundance’ in New Zealand politics?

A black and white photo of five people sitting at a table. Overlaid are two lines charting unemployment rates: orange from 1987-1993, and red from 2020-2024, with a peak noted at 9.5% and a dip at 4.1%.

Are we back in the early 1990s?

Collage featuring the Beehive building in the centre with two men in suits on either side against a blue grid background. One man looks left with an RNZ microphone, while the other holds a pen to his chin.

Are past careers important in politics?

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A man in a suit and orange tie stands in front of a collage of documents and text fragments. Behind him is an image of a government building. The text includes phrases like "Regulatory Standards Bill" and "Government agencies are to contact.

David Seymour’s subtle power play

A collage featuring a vintage typed political document. Overlaid are two images of white middle-aged men, one has a red line drawing of a telephone over him, the other a blue line drawing of a telephone. The background has a polka dot pattern.

Labour’s long win on defence policy

Could anyone but Luxon lose the CGT fight for National?

two men sitting on parliament chairs chuckling

In defence of the RIS

How much of Labour’s legacy will survive? A comprehensive analysis