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Protecting valued attributes of a river’s socio-ecological system demands a more holistic approach to freshwater management. Effective communication is critical to convey the breadth of values and the state of water systems to decision-makers if they are to make meaningful decisions. Worldwide, environmental report cards are being used to define and measure progress towards environmental sustainability and promoted as an effective communication and engagement tool to galvanise commitment and action. This paper discusses the value of environmental report cards and contends that they can be a valuable integrative tool to support restoration strategies, as well as a way of conveying monitoring results to increase understanding about the health and well-being of catchments. We present two case studies from the Waikato and Waitaki River in New Zealand where report cards based on eco-cultural frameworks have been developed that explicitly link indicators that assess the state or condition of the catchment with the vision and goals articulated by iwi/hapū. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]