As New Zealand transitions to an innovative and technological society there are numerous risks for its indigenous people. Having occupied the bottom end of the socio-economic ladder for 150 plus years, the struggle for upward mobility is intensifying with Māori more determined than ever to achieve a place in society that will enable them to live with cultural equality and socio-economic security. However, in order to attain their place in the new economy Māori must look to their science achievements both for understanding and for leadership. As this paper will show, Māori accomplishments in science within the universities must be considered a qualified success although Māori are highly under-represented in all aspects of degree completions in the science arena and the more advanced the degree is, the greater the under-representation. However, considering that in the last fifty years the number of Māori science graduates has risen from virtually zero the current numbers are encouraging with hope for the future. It is true that at the very highest level Māori have yet to make their mark and at the Ph.D. level Māori are also highly under-represented, but with appropriate policy changes it would seem possible to bridge this gap between Māori and non-Māori. It is also of concern that since the year 2000 the rate of increase of both Maori and non-Māori graduations in the sciences seems to have reached a plateau, which suggests some kind of major but unexpected shift concerning the training of science students within the universities.