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Resolving challenges at the science–policy interface is key to improving the management of cumulative effects of pressures in catchments to meet societal goals for freshwater ecosystem health and water quality. This paper briefly reviews shifts in freshwater policy in New Zealand over the last six years, identifies implications for demands on science, and then offers a framework of topics to help guide freshwater scientists better help water resource managers both develop and implement policy. Key themes include: (i) being clear about the various potential roles of scientists and the particular importance of the ‘honest broker’ role at the interface; (ii) informing policy decisions on capacity for resource use, by predicting consequences of future scenarios; and (iii) integrating and communicating multidisciplinary technical and community-derived knowledge, including handling inevitable uncertainty. Understanding and practising these topics will contribute to improved policy for managing cumulative effects and benefit New Zealand’s freshwaters and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]