The association between Māori ethnicity and hazardous alcohol use may be partially mediated by experiences of past racial discrimination according to a cross-sectional analysis of the 2016–2017 New Zealand Health Survey. Māori (n=2543) were more likely to experience discrimination than New Zealand Europeans (n=7341). Elevated levels of hazardous alcohol use were significantly associated with Māori identification and racial discrimination (both p<0.05) and accounted for 34.7% of the increased likelihood of hazardous alcohol use (95% CI 9.7%–59.6%).