Shaw was born in Christchurch. He earned his first cap for the national team, nicknamed "The Black Sticks", in 2002 against Australia. Shaw was often involved in penalty corner routines performing drag flicks. As a result, he was top scorer with 13 goals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games whilst winning a silver medal with the national team. After the 2006 Men's Hockey World Cup, Shaw was selected for the World Cup All Star team.