Surf breaks are natural resources that have experienced degradation in many countries worldwide. In response, protection initiatives have been established that are typically led by non-governmental groups. In 2010, New Zealand became the first country to establish legal protection for surf breaks at a national scale, as the result of a policy review. This article identifies contributions to these new developments with a focus on top-down and bottom-up activities that influenced the outcomes achieved. The substantive protection developments originated from the input of concerned individuals whose participation was not directly assured. These voluntary inputs were underpinned by a series of community-led activities that helped formulate and refine proposals to be put forward when the formal consultation opportunities arose. Although these bottom-up aspects had a strong influence on outcomes, top-down aspects of the context included decisions on the process adopted for policy review. This shaped the participation opportunities and therefore point of entry for bottom-up activities to engage. The case illustrates important principles for policy development where connections between top-down and bottom-up approaches are desired. Benefits include the potential for community-led solutions to natural resource challenges to be developed, and supported, as exemplified here.