From workhorse to show pony – a family legacy restored.

For the Briggs family, their 1974 Bedford J1 is more than just a farm truck—it's a symbol of resilience and the grit and determination it takes to rebuild after financial loss.

Once the reliable workhorse on their farm in Mid Canterbury, the truck became a casualty of Rogernomics in the 1980s.

Like so many others during that difficult period in New Zealand's farming history, the Briggs family was forced to face financial ruin, losing the family farm.

"We got tipped up with Rogernomics and lost the lot," Gavin Briggs recalls.

In 1984, receivers came in, and the truck, which Briggs's father Les had purchased in 1981 and kitted out with a spray unit, was sold to a neighbour down the road.

"To his credit, he kept in the shed.

"He went shearing in the end, so the truck got bugger all work."

Meanwhile, the Briggs family began climbing back to financial success.

With the farm gone and two children under five, Briggs retrained as a fitter-welder and sold fertiliser on the side to make ends meet.

A trip to Australia to visit family by Briggs's father, Les, changed everything.

"He was flying over to see the in-laws and looked out the window and saw this rotor irrigator going around and around."

Les was inspired.

He immediately saw the potential for an irrigation system that would be a game-changer over traditional irrigation systems available in New Zealand at the time.

"We imported one and then made one for ourselves.

"A cocky got wind of it, and it just sort of snowballed from there."

In 1989, the family founded Rainer Irrigation, a business that now employs over 70 staff and specialises in the design, supply, installation, and servicing of irrigation and effluent systems.

The business has been a Mid Canterbury success story, but that success has been hard fought for.

"You're constantly switched on to what you are doing.

"We are only just getting to a point in our lives now where we can skive off and do what we want," Briggs said.

Despite this, he was initially reluctant when the neighbour down the road rang three years ago and asked Brigg if he wanted the truck back.

That was until Briggs's son Sam found out about the truck and its family connection.

"He said, go and buy the truck."

$500 changed hands, and the truck was once more back in the Briggs family.

The Bedford then went to Geraldine Auto Restorations, where Briggs said they stripped the entire vehicle, including the chassis, back to bare metal and restored the truck from the wheels up.

The process was an expensive one.

"Get advice on how much it will cost. And then double it," Briggs advises anyone embarking on the same restoration journey.

The result is a truck that has been lovingly restored down to the finest detail, complete with a fabricated well-side deck and stamped rear tray.

The Bedford has the number 46 lovingly painted on the side, a nod to its place among 70 vehicles under the Rainer umbrella.

The truck won't be put to work—instead, it's a vehicle that will be displayed at shows and events for the public to enjoy and as a reminder to the Briggs family, including Les, who is still going strong at 90 years old, of all they have achieved.

"It's a really enjoyable drive; it takes me back in time to a period in my life where it was enjoyable until it hit the fan, but that was out of everyone's control.

"But we have brought her back, and I think we've done alright," Briggs said.

By Claire Inkson