Emerging Organic Contaminants (EOCs) are natural or manufactured chemicals in household and personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and agrichemicals; their use and discharge are largely unregulated. EOCs are used daily by individuals and industries globally with substantial amounts released into the environment. The use of chemicals and chemically enabled products like plastics, is deeply embedded in our society, lifestyle and health choices. Poor management and disposal practices surrounding their production and consumption result in the release of contaminants into the environment. The risk of EOCs from sources like wastewater discharges, stormwater and run off, and their potential accumulation in ecosystems including estuaries, are of increasing concern. Ensuring the full benefit of chemicals while reducing their unintended impacts is a major challenge, and one ‘wicked problem’, where people are implicitly part of the problem and market forces dominate. This programme used a multi-disciplinary approach and a structure including a National Advisory Panel of experts from local and central government agencies, industry and Māori tribes. The research was focused at two study catchments comprising a range of urban and rural land uses. Both study sites involved partnerships with local councils, community groups and mana whenua (Māori tribe with customary authority). This structure facilitated the communication of the results and ensured that the research was relevant to local issues. We took a multi-disciplinary approach to investigate the presence and impacts of EOCs at two study sites covering main land-based activities. Environmental samples were tested for a range of toxicological modes of action and the modulation of some EOCs to modulate antimicrobial resistance was investigated. The next step is to identify EOCs that pose the highest risk so they can be better managed to meet the goals of the National Strategy to Manage Emerging Contaminants.