diff --git a/controller/controlplane/controlplane_controller_reconciler_utils_test.go b/controller/controlplane/controlplane_controller_reconciler_utils_test.go
index 9590ccfa6..58427548e 100644
--- a/controller/controlplane/controlplane_controller_reconciler_utils_test.go
+++ b/controller/controlplane/controlplane_controller_reconciler_utils_test.go
@@ -44,7 +44,36 @@ func TestEnsureClusterRole(t *testing.T) {
 	wrongClusterRole2 := clusterRole.DeepCopy()
 	wrongClusterRole2.ObjectMeta.Labels["aaa"] = "bbb"
 
-	clusterRole.ObjectMeta.Labels[consts.GatewayOperatorManagedByNameLabel] = "test-controlplane"
+	controlplane := operatorv1beta1.ControlPlane{
+		TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{
+			APIVersion: "gateway-operator.konghq.com/v1beta1",
+			Kind:       "ControlPlane",
+		},
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "test-controlplane",
+			Namespace: "test-namespace",
+			UID:       types.UID(uuid.NewString()),
+		},
+		Spec: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlaneSpec{
+			ControlPlaneOptions: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlaneOptions{
+				Deployment: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlaneDeploymentOptions{
+					PodTemplateSpec: &corev1.PodTemplateSpec{
+						Spec: corev1.PodSpec{
+							Containers: []corev1.Container{
+								{
+									Name:  consts.ControlPlaneControllerContainerName,
+									Image: consts.DefaultControlPlaneImage,
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	k8sutils.SetOwnerForObjectThroughLabels(clusterRole, &controlplane)
+
 	testCases := []struct {
 		Name                string
 		controlplane        operatorv1beta1.ControlPlane
@@ -54,98 +83,20 @@ func TestEnsureClusterRole(t *testing.T) {
 		err                 error
 	}{
 		{
-			Name: "no existing clusterrole",
-			controlplane: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlane{
-				TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{
-					APIVersion: "gateway-operator.konghq.com/v1beta1",
-					Kind:       "ControlPlane",
-				},
-				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-					Name:      "test-controlplane",
-					Namespace: "test-namespace",
-					UID:       types.UID(uuid.NewString()),
-				},
-				Spec: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlaneSpec{
-					ControlPlaneOptions: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlaneOptions{
-						Deployment: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlaneDeploymentOptions{
-							PodTemplateSpec: &corev1.PodTemplateSpec{
-								Spec: corev1.PodSpec{
-									Containers: []corev1.Container{
-										{
-											Name:  consts.ControlPlaneControllerContainerName,
-											Image: consts.DefaultControlPlaneImage,
-										},
-									},
-								},
-							},
-						},
-					},
-				},
-			},
+			Name:                "no existing clusterrole",
+			controlplane:        controlplane,
 			createdorUpdated:    true,
 			expectedClusterRole: *clusterRole,
 		},
 		{
-			Name: "up to date clusterrole",
-			controlplane: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlane{
-				TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{
-					APIVersion: "gateway-operator.konghq.com/v1beta1",
-					Kind:       "ControlPlane",
-				},
-				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-					Name:      "test-controlplane",
-					Namespace: "test-namespace",
-					UID:       types.UID(uuid.NewString()),
-				},
-				Spec: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlaneSpec{
-					ControlPlaneOptions: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlaneOptions{
-						Deployment: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlaneDeploymentOptions{
-							PodTemplateSpec: &corev1.PodTemplateSpec{
-								Spec: corev1.PodSpec{
-									Containers: []corev1.Container{
-										{
-											Name:  consts.ControlPlaneControllerContainerName,
-											Image: consts.DefaultControlPlaneImage,
-										},
-									},
-								},
-							},
-						},
-					},
-				},
-			},
+			Name:                "up to date clusterrole",
+			controlplane:        controlplane,
 			existingClusterRole: clusterRole,
 			expectedClusterRole: *clusterRole,
 		},
 		{
-			Name: "out of date clusterrole, object meta",
-			controlplane: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlane{
-				TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{
-					APIVersion: "gateway-operator.konghq.com/v1beta1",
-					Kind:       "ControlPlane",
-				},
-				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-					Name:      "test-controlplane",
-					Namespace: "test-namespace",
-					UID:       types.UID(uuid.NewString()),
-				},
-				Spec: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlaneSpec{
-					ControlPlaneOptions: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlaneOptions{
-						Deployment: operatorv1beta1.ControlPlaneDeploymentOptions{
-							PodTemplateSpec: &corev1.PodTemplateSpec{
-								Spec: corev1.PodSpec{
-									Containers: []corev1.Container{
-										{
-											Name:  consts.ControlPlaneControllerContainerName,
-											Image: consts.DefaultControlPlaneImage,
-										},
-									},
-								},
-							},
-						},
-					},
-				},
-			},
+			Name:                "out of date clusterrole, object meta",
+			controlplane:        controlplane,
 			existingClusterRole: wrongClusterRole2,
 			createdorUpdated:    true,
 			expectedClusterRole: *clusterRole,
diff --git a/pkg/utils/test/asserts.go b/pkg/utils/test/asserts.go
index 922b9b855..c53f36c4e 100644
--- a/pkg/utils/test/asserts.go
+++ b/pkg/utils/test/asserts.go
@@ -44,10 +44,7 @@ func MustListControlPlaneClusterRoles(t *testing.T, ctx context.Context, control
 	clusterRoles, err := k8sutils.ListClusterRoles(
 		ctx,
 		clients.MgrClient,
-		client.MatchingLabels{
-			consts.GatewayOperatorManagedByLabel:     consts.ControlPlaneManagedLabelValue,
-			consts.GatewayOperatorManagedByNameLabel: controlplane.Name,
-		},
+		client.MatchingLabels(k8sutils.GetManagedByLabelSet(controlplane)),
 	)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	return clusterRoles
@@ -59,10 +56,7 @@ func MustListControlPlaneClusterRoleBindings(t *testing.T, ctx context.Context,
 	clusterRoleBindings, err := k8sutils.ListClusterRoleBindings(
 		ctx,
 		clients.MgrClient,
-		client.MatchingLabels{
-			consts.GatewayOperatorManagedByLabel:     consts.ControlPlaneManagedLabelValue,
-			consts.GatewayOperatorManagedByNameLabel: controlplane.Name,
-		},
+		client.MatchingLabels(k8sutils.GetManagedByLabelSet(controlplane)),
 	)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	return clusterRoleBindings