Denis O'Rourke

Denis O'Rourke
Denis O'Rourke in December 2012
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for New Zealand First party list
Personal details
Born	(1946-07-26) 26 July 1946 (age 70) Christchurch, New Zealand
Political party	New Zealand First
Alma mater	University of Canterbury
Profession	Lawyer

Denis John O'Rourke (born 26 July 1946) is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament representing New Zealand First. For many years, he was a senior councillor on Christchurch City Council.

Born in Christchurch, O'Rourke was educated at Christchurch West High School. He studied at the University of Canterbury, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws, and went on to practise law, specialising in legal drafting, statutory interpretation and commercial law, until 1992.

His political interest arose from his opposition to the policies of former Prime Minister Rob Muldoon. O'Rourke perceived Muldoon's policies as divisive, with "incredibly oppressive regulations, absolutely awful economic policies which just drove New Zealand economy into the ground."

O'Rourke was a member of the Labour Party for 19 years until 2003, when he resigned over dissatisfaction with the direction of Helen Clark's government. On one occasion, he was the campaign manager when Ann Hercus successfully contested Lyttelton. He joined New Zealand First in early 2010.

From his local government days, O'Rourke has a reputation of a "no half-measures" politician. He is known to undertake exhaustive research on his portfolios. By his own claim, he has "read every word in every council report" ever put to him. O'Rourke describes his political style as "forceful", whilst some others describe it as "abrasive". One of his fellow councillors once publicly accused him of being a bully. O'Rourke describes debating as "recreational".

O'Rourke first joined Christchurch City Council in 1989 as a representative of the Labour Party and served for 15 years until 2004. For many years, he chaired the Sustainable Transport and Utilities Committee, and under his chairmanship, the Blenheim Road deviation and the four-laning of Fendalton Road were major council projects. He championed unpopular projects like the Kate Valley Landfill and set up the Recovered Materials Foundation, which represented the start of kerbside recycling in Christchurch.