A wing three-quarter, Bill Meates represented Canterbury and Otago at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, in 1949 and 1950.

[1] Rejected for military service as an 18-year-old because of flat feet, Meates graduated from Christchurch Teachers' Training College in 1944.

[2] Following the end of the war, he toured Britain and France with the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force rugby team, known as the "Kiwis", playing in 13 matches.

[1] Back in New Zealand, worked as a teacher and studied at Canterbury University College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1954.

As chairman of Sacred Heart Girls' College, he was influential in the integration of Catholic schools into the state system.