Food system resilience: Identifying regional community assets through an asset-based community development (ABCD) approach

Ashleigh Kearns-Steed; Rachael Glassey; Renee Railton; David Rees; Boyd Swinburn; David Tipene-Leach

doi:10.5304/jafscd.2026.161.010

Authors

Ashleigh Kearns-Steed Eastern Institute of Technology (Te Aho a Māui) https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5614-8950
Rachael Glassey Eastern Institute of Technology (Te Aho a Māui)
Renee Railton Eastern Institute of Technology (Te Aho a Māui)
David Rees Synergia Ltd.
Boyd Swinburn University of Auckland
David Tipene-Leach Eastern Institute of Technology (Te Aho a Māui) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2626-5248

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2026.161.010

Keywords:

asset-based community development, ABCD, potential interventions, regional assets, regional food distribution system, regional challenges, regional aspirations, food system resilience, New Zealand

Abstract

New Zealand food systems are experiencing major challenges for food security, health, and environmental sustainability. Exacerbating their ongoing difficulties, on February 14, 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle struck the Hawke’s Bay region on New Zealand’s North Island, revealing further critical vulnerabilities in regional food systems including food distribution, which increased food insecurity. The storm highlighted the need for food system resilience strategies, raising the question: “How can applying the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) framework identify regional food-system assets and map their alignment with stakeholder challenges and aspirations for food system resilience?” This study applied the ABCD framework and a stakeholder perspective to generate a regional asset inventory.

This study draws on the same interview dataset as a previously published cognitive-mapping analysis of the Hawke’s Bay food system (Kearns-Steed et al., 2025), applying a different analytical framework to address a different research question. Seventeen stakeholders from multiple sectors were interviewed, and 69 unique assets were identified. The most significant challenge was the lack of a local distribution system, with 41% of stakeholders reporting issues in the transportation sector. Eighty-eight percent of stakeholders expressed aspirations focused on enhancing organizational productivity and fostering a resilient food system, with 27% advocating for more community gardens. The analysis identified a wide range of community assets and mapped them against challenges and aspirations articulated by community leaders. It also noted stakeholder willingness to collaborate toward improving the community. These findings suggested ways to develop potential intervention pathways. Future research should implement and evaluate these strategies to validate effectiveness and scalability in similar regional settings.