diff --git a/core/frontend/helpers/navigation.js b/core/frontend/helpers/navigation.js
index 41632a8243..1a8b16c7ea 100644
--- a/core/frontend/helpers/navigation.js
+++ b/core/frontend/helpers/navigation.js
@@ -75,8 +75,11 @@ module.exports = function navigation(options) {
         return out;
     });
 
-    const context = _.merge({}, this, options.hash, {navigation: output});
+    // CASE: The navigation helper should have access to the navigation items at the top level.
+    this.navigation = output;
+    // CASE: The navigation helper will forward attributes passed to it.
+    _.merge(this, options.hash);
     const data = createFrame(options.data);
 
-    return templates.execute('navigation', context, {data});
+    return templates.execute('navigation', this, {data});
 };
diff --git a/core/frontend/helpers/pagination.js b/core/frontend/helpers/pagination.js
index dbf307174c..adbcc54dfc 100644
--- a/core/frontend/helpers/pagination.js
+++ b/core/frontend/helpers/pagination.js
@@ -41,10 +41,14 @@ pagination = function (options) {
         !_.isNumber(this.pagination.total) || !_.isNumber(this.pagination.limit)) {
         throw new errors.IncorrectUsageError({message: i18n.t('warnings.helpers.pagination.valuesMustBeNumeric')});
     }
-    const context = _.merge({}, this, options.hash, this.pagination);
+
+    // CASE: The pagination helper should have access to the pagination properties at the top level.
+    _.merge(this, this.pagination);
+    // CASE: The pagination helper will forward attributes passed to it.
+    _.merge(this, options.hash);
     const data = createFrame(options.data);
 
-    return templates.execute('pagination', context, {data});
+    return templates.execute('pagination', this, {data});
 };
 
 module.exports = pagination;
diff --git a/core/test/unit/helpers/navigation_spec.js b/core/test/unit/helpers/navigation_spec.js
index ab6c2e6564..4e59b1038a 100644
--- a/core/test/unit/helpers/navigation_spec.js
+++ b/core/test/unit/helpers/navigation_spec.js
@@ -1,18 +1,14 @@
-var should = require('should'),
-    hbs = require('../../../frontend/services/themes/engine'),
+const  should = require('should');
+const  hbs = require('../../../frontend/services/themes/engine');
+const  configUtils = require('../../utils/configUtils');
+const  path = require('path');
+const  helpers = require('../../../frontend/helpers');
 
-    configUtils = require('../../utils/configUtils'),
-    path = require('path'),
-
-    helpers = require('../../../frontend/helpers');
+const runHelper = data => helpers.navigation.call({}, data);
+const runHelperThunk = data => () => runHelper(data);
 
 describe('{{navigation}} helper', function () {
-    var runHelper = function (data) {
-            return function () {
-                helpers.navigation(data);
-            };
-        },
-        optionsData;
+    let optionsData;
 
     before(function (done) {
         hbs.express4({
@@ -26,6 +22,7 @@ describe('{{navigation}} helper', function () {
         // The navigation partial expects this helper
         // @TODO: change to register with Ghost's own registration tools
         hbs.registerHelper('url', helpers.url);
+        hbs.registerHelper('foreach', helpers.foreach);
     });
 
     beforeEach(function () {
@@ -44,24 +41,24 @@ describe('{{navigation}} helper', function () {
     it('should throw errors on invalid data', function () {
         // Test 1: navigation = string
         optionsData.data.blog.navigation = 'not an object';
-        runHelper(optionsData).should.throwError('navigation data is not an object or is a function');
+        runHelperThunk(optionsData).should.throwError('navigation data is not an object or is a function');
 
         // Test 2: navigation = function
         optionsData.data.blog.navigation = function () {
         };
-        runHelper(optionsData).should.throwError('navigation data is not an object or is a function');
+        runHelperThunk(optionsData).should.throwError('navigation data is not an object or is a function');
 
         // Test 3: invalid label
         optionsData.data.blog.navigation = [{label: 1, url: 'bar'}];
-        runHelper(optionsData).should.throwError('Invalid value, Url and Label must be strings');
+        runHelperThunk(optionsData).should.throwError('Invalid value, Url and Label must be strings');
 
         // Test 4: invalid url
         optionsData.data.blog.navigation = [{label: 'foo', url: 1}];
-        runHelper(optionsData).should.throwError('Invalid value, Url and Label must be strings');
+        runHelperThunk(optionsData).should.throwError('Invalid value, Url and Label must be strings');
     });
 
     it('can render empty nav', function () {
-        var rendered = helpers.navigation(optionsData);
+        var rendered = runHelper(optionsData);
 
         should.exist(rendered);
         rendered.string.should.be.equal('');
@@ -73,7 +70,7 @@ describe('{{navigation}} helper', function () {
         delete optionsData.data.root.relativeUrl;
 
         optionsData.data.blog.navigation = [singleItem];
-        rendered = helpers.navigation(optionsData);
+        rendered = runHelper(optionsData);
         rendered.string.should.containEql('li');
         rendered.string.should.containEql('nav-foo');
         rendered.string.should.containEql('/foo');
@@ -85,7 +82,7 @@ describe('{{navigation}} helper', function () {
             rendered;
 
         optionsData.data.blog.navigation = [singleItem];
-        rendered = helpers.navigation(optionsData);
+        rendered = runHelper(optionsData);
 
         should.exist(rendered);
         rendered.string.should.containEql('li');
@@ -101,7 +98,7 @@ describe('{{navigation}} helper', function () {
             rendered;
 
         optionsData.data.blog.navigation = [firstItem, secondItem];
-        rendered = helpers.navigation(optionsData);
+        rendered = runHelper(optionsData);
 
         should.exist(rendered);
         rendered.string.should.containEql('nav-foo');
@@ -117,7 +114,7 @@ describe('{{navigation}} helper', function () {
 
         optionsData.data.blog.navigation = [firstItem, secondItem];
         optionsData.data.root.relativeUrl = '/foo';
-        rendered = helpers.navigation(optionsData);
+        rendered = runHelper(optionsData);
 
         should.exist(rendered);
         rendered.string.should.containEql('nav-foo');
@@ -133,7 +130,7 @@ describe('{{navigation}} helper', function () {
 
         optionsData.data.blog.navigation = [firstItem, secondItem];
         optionsData.data.root.relativeUrl = '/foo/';
-        rendered = helpers.navigation(optionsData);
+        rendered = runHelper(optionsData);
 
         should.exist(rendered);
         rendered.string.should.containEql('nav-foo');
@@ -147,7 +144,7 @@ describe('{{navigation}} helper', function () {
             rendered;
 
         optionsData.data.blog.navigation = [firstItem];
-        rendered = helpers.navigation(optionsData);
+        rendered = runHelper(optionsData);
 
         should.exist(rendered);
         rendered.string.should.not.containEql('=');
@@ -160,7 +157,7 @@ describe('{{navigation}} helper', function () {
             rendered;
 
         optionsData.data.blog.navigation = [firstItem];
-        rendered = helpers.navigation(optionsData);
+        rendered = runHelper(optionsData);
 
         should.exist(rendered);
         rendered.string.should.containEql('foo=space%20bar');
@@ -173,7 +170,7 @@ describe('{{navigation}} helper', function () {
             rendered;
 
         optionsData.data.blog.navigation = [firstItem];
-        rendered = helpers.navigation(optionsData);
+        rendered = runHelper(optionsData);
 
         should.exist(rendered);
         rendered.string.should.not.containEql('foo=space%2520bar');
@@ -213,7 +210,7 @@ describe('{{navigation}} helper with custom template', function () {
         // Set @blog.title
         optionsData.data.blog.title = 'Chaos is a ladder.';
 
-        rendered = helpers.navigation(optionsData);
+        rendered = runHelper(optionsData);
 
         should.exist(rendered);
         rendered.string.should.containEql('Chaos is a ladder');
@@ -229,7 +226,7 @@ describe('{{navigation}} helper with custom template', function () {
         // Simulate {{navigation isHeader=true}}
         optionsData.hash = {isHeader: true};
 
-        rendered = helpers.navigation(optionsData);
+        rendered = runHelper(optionsData);
 
         should.exist(rendered);
         rendered.string.should.not.containEql('Chaos is a ladder');