29 Facts About Denis O'Rourke

Denis John O'Rourke was born on 26 July 1946 and is a former New Zealand politician.

Denis O'Rourke served fifteen years as a councillor on Christchurch City Council, and served six years as a Member of Parliament representing New Zealand First.

Denis O'Rourke 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.

Denis O'Rourke became a member of the Labour Party in around 1983, and sought to be the party's candidate for the Sydenham electorate, but the party selected Labour Party President Jim Anderton instead.

When Hercus retired prior to the 1987 election, Denis O'Rourke stood to be Labour's new candidate in that electorate, but lost the nomination to Peter Simpson.

Denis O'Rourke sought the Lyttelton nomination again in 1992, this time losing it to Ruth Dyson.

Denis O'Rourke first stood for Parliament as an independent candidate for the Ilam electorate at the 1999 election.

Denis O'Rourke finished seventh in a field of eleven candidates.

Denis O'Rourke was elected to Christchurch City Council in 1989, as a representative of the Labour Party.

Denis O'Rourke served on the council for 15 years until 2004.

Denis O'Rourke championed unpopular projects like the Kate Valley Landfill and set up the Recovered Materials Foundation, which represented the start of kerbside recycling in Christchurch.

Denis O'Rourke lost his seat on Christchurch City Council in the 2004 local election.

Denis O'Rourke ran for a seat on Environment Canterbury in 2007, but came third in the two-member electorate.

Denis O'Rourke sought re-election to Christchurch City Council as well as a seat on the Canterbury District Health Board in the 2010 local elections, but did not win a seat in either group; for the council he came second in the one-member Banks Peninsula ward and for the health board he came seventeenth in a contest for seven positions.

Denis O'Rourke was a member of the Labour Party for 19 years.

Denis O'Rourke was placed seventh on NZ First's party lists.

Denis O'Rourke retained his list seat in the 2014 general election.

Denis O'Rourke was re-elected to Parliament on the New Zealand First Party list.

From his local government days, Denis O'Rourke had a reputation of a "no half-measures" politician.

Denis O'Rourke was known to undertake exhaustive research on his portfolios and claimed to have "read every word in every council report" ever put to him.

Denis O'Rourke described his political style as "forceful", whilst some others described it as "abrasive".

Since 2000, Denis O'Rourke was one of the Christchurch City Council representatives on the Central Plains Water Enhancement Steering Committee under Doug Marsh as chairman.

Denis O'Rourke remained a trustee when he lost his seat on Christchurch City Council.

Since 2008, Denis O'Rourke has been chairman of a recycling plant in Opawa owned by Becon Canterbury that handles demolition waste and other commercial refuse.

At times, Denis O'Rourke has owned a wedding chauffeur business with this business partner Stephen James.

In 2014 it had come to light that James had left a bogus review of the service on TradeMe which gained attention as Denis O'Rourke had been elected to the Parliament.

In 2014 Denis O'Rourke was investigated by the Speaker of the House David Carter for employing his partner or spouse in a tax-payer funded administrative role.

Denis O'Rourke denied that this was occurring, and that the person who lived at the address with him was just a friend and business partner.

Denis O'Rourke was driving a party to a wedding in May 2021 when his car collided with a motorcyclist, who died at the scene.