River system models to support basin planning have been around for a long time. Within Australia, they play a key role in the planning process, with state water resource agencies having dedicated modelling staff, with incredible and deep knowledge of the regulated and unregulated waterways within their jurisdiction. This knowledge, encapsulated in river system models, allows for the exploration and comparison of planning initiatives and ideas. Indeed, they also serve the purpose of informing the granting of entitlements and allocations, an often contested space for water users. Within Australia, the development and use of these models, within and across jurisdictions, is reaching a level of maturity that is unmatched in other countries, developed and developing. How to take this expertise to other countries, where access to water is a critical right denied to many, where water planning is hampered by deep levels of distrust in both motivations and veracity of data? This session is interested in hearing about your experiences – in particular how the context affected the way you conceptualised and implemented your models, designed and analysed scenarios, and interpreted results.