[5][7] He played cricket from a young age and made appearances for Auckland age-group sides from the 2017–18 season until 2019–20[3] before moving to the South Island to study at the University of Canterbury.
[15] The following season, he was the joint-highest wicket-taker for Canterbury in the 2022–23 Super Smash with 12 wickets from ten matches, with the team reaching the final of the competition.
[16] He was the team's leading wicket-taker in the 2022–23 Ford Trophy with 13 wickets from nine matches,[5] including figures of 3 for 47 against Otago, helping Canterbury to qualify for the final.
[20] He made his ODI debut during the series,[21] becoming the first England-born cricketer to play for New Zealand since Roger Twose in the 1990s.
[5][28] A fast bowler who can reach delivery speeds of 150 kilometres per hour (93 mph), his bowling style has been compared to that of Kyle Jamieson, another tall New Zealand fast bowler; O'Rourke has spent time working alongside Jamieson to develop his approach to bowling.