The primary aim of this study is to identify barriers and incentives that have affected academic achievement of Māori students in psychology at the University of Auckland. A secondary aim is to identify possible strategies to strengthen the participation of these students. Five participants (3 postgraduates, 2 undergraduates) who identified themselves as Māori, who had trained in psychology at the University of Auckland were interviewed. A thematic analysis of the recorded and transcribed data was implemented. The resulting data clustered into two main areas. These were sources of barriers and incentives to Māori participation in psychology and sources of support from within the psychology department. Five themes emerged from the data. These included: cultural identity, Māori presence, the provision of resources, and Māori students/peers. In addition, two distinct sources of support were identified. These were the psychology department and the Māori students and their peers. While this study is based on a small sample, it provides suggestions for future research by posing questions about establishing a combination of cultural and academic space for indigenous students in our educational institutions.