Over the last decade, the New Zealand Ministry of Education (2000, 2012) has continued to identify young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds as one of six groups who are consistently underrepresented in gifted and talented programmes in New Zealand schools. This paper reports on a research project that explored the lived experiences of 101 gifted young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds. These young people were invited to reflect on questions related to recognition and perceptions of their abilities, school and classroom provisions, and aspects of their schooling that limited or enabled the development of their talents. Three key messages that are relevant to educators emerged from their responses. These messages highlighted the importance of relationships, the pressure to perform and the main source of their drive to achieve. This paper provides a starting point for considering how gifted, financially disadvantaged students might be effectively supported to develop their potential.