Anton Oliver attended Marlborough Boys' College where he was head boy and represented New Zealand Under 17. He played for Marlborough as a 16 year old as well as captaining New Zealand Secondary Schools and New Zealand Under 19.
Oliver made his debut for Otago in 1994, and played for NZ Under 21 for three years, captaining them in his last year. He played a record 127 games for the Highlanders, captained both Otago and the Highlanders, and was the first New Zealander to play 100 games of Super Rugby. Oliver first made the All Blacks in 1995 at the age of 19. He was appointed All Black captain in 2001, but an injury in 2002 forced him to miss the entire All Black season. From 2003, he was an outstanding contributor to the All Blacks until his retirement after the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
Oliver graduated with a BPhEd/BCom from Otago, and has since completed an MSc at the University of Oxford and an Executive Master in Business at the University of Cambridge. A man of great honesty and integrity, he is a Patron of the Coalition for Open Government, and the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust, and an Ambassador for Cure Kids.