In general, natural resource managers and policy makers have either focussed on optimising on ground outcomes in specific locations, or have joined with NRM professionals and regional communities to collaborate across regions. However some of the primary influences of successful natural resources management are outside of the immediate NRM realm. Land use planning, mainstream economic policy and the market can all act as enablers or barriers to successful natural resource management, even if the best research and technology is incorporated into management systems by landholders and industry. This paper will discuss an approach to gaining adoption of NRM knowledge in both the NRM realm and beyond, with a particular reference to land use planning.