 Bates made the traditional All Blacks route to the top with appearances for New Zealand Secondary Schools, New Zealand U-19 and the U-21s, during this time he played Rugby league and was good enough to be selected for the Warriors U-19s.He has only played one test so far for his nation (v Italy 2004).Currently, Bates resides in Fuchu, Japan with Top League team Toshiba Brave Lupus under Australian coach Joe Barakat, with other New Zealand players Richard Kahui and David Hill.