Maitreya started his career as a founding member of Nilstate, a live hip hop band which gained a cult-like following around Christchurch, New Zealand. In 1996, he moved to Auckland, New Zealand, and joined the crew Dark Tower who toured to New Zealand's sold-out venues in the summer of 2000.

In 2003, Maitreya travelled to New York where he got an internship at Roc-a-Fella Records (Jay-Z). He worked for Roc-a-Fella for the next two years, at the same time participating in open mic shows, eventually getting his own show Illegal.

In 2006, Maitreya, with a bunch of new songs, signed up on a then brand new and revolutionary fan-funding music site, SellaBand, where old and new fans started contributing to fund his debut album. Seven months later, the raising of 50 000 $ was completed and Maitreya recorded his debut, after which he toured to several places around the world to promote it. The album is largely autobiographical; as he says himself, it "takes you on a journey into the life and times of a kid from Christchurch, NZ, who never gave up chasing the dream..."

In summer 2010, Maitreya recorded an EP in Maori in celebration of the Maori Week. The version of Waitaha which is this week's Song of the Week comes from this EP, Te Puna Reka (The Sweet Flow).