Entrepreneur and author Minnie Baragwanath has made a new home in Whanganui with her canine companion Floyd. Photo / Bevan Conley
Minnie Baragwanath’s life story is testimony to the belief that human beings often do their best work when they are up against it.
Her recently published autobiographical book Blindingly Obvious is a candid account of an eventful life that has included more devastating blows than many individuals could recover from - and each time Baragwanath has emerged triumphant.
The author, who recently moved to Whanganui, has received numerous awards for her work as a disability advocate including a New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) awarded in 2014.
At the age of 15, Baragwanath was diagnosed with a congenital condition named Stargardt disease that left her legally blind. It is a retinal condition that has left her with some peripheral sight.
In her book, Baragwanath describes the difficulties she had already experienced in her early teens after her parents separated.
“Deep in the midst of all this, something else was going on, something that would change my life forever was slowly, irreversibly taking shape. I did not know it, but day by day, week by week, month by month, something was quietly, stealthily stealing from me. The Gods of pain and chaos were far from done.”
After the initial shock of the diagnosis, Baragwanath found her determination. She completed her high school education at Palmerston North Girls High School and went on to complete a bachelor’s degree in English literature, a bachelor of communication studies and a graduate diploma in economic development.
Baragwanath is still settling into the new home she shares with her west highland terrier Floyd and enjoys spending more time with her mother Rosemary who moved to Whanganui a decade ago.
Blindingly Obvious is dedicated to Rosemary, who supported her daughter when the young student was negotiating her way through university work without the level of disability support that has since been introduced.
“Mum would read my assignments to me or, when she couldn’t be there, she would record herself reading them and send me the cassettes.
“I still have some of the tapes mum made.”
It was Rosemary who called her daughter “Minnie” and the name has replaced her birth name.
“I’m told I laughed a lot as a baby and my family called me Minnehaha after the character in Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha and, after a while, it was shortened to Minnie.
“My given name is Amanda but over time I’ve come to realise that Minnie is the name I’m comfortable with.”
Baragwanath said by the time she completed her graduate diploma at Auckland University, there was more support for students with disabilities.
“Diana Murray, who was the disability liaison officer at the university, was doing fantastic work and that partly inspired me to do the work that I’ve done.”
In 2011 Baragwanath founded her social enterprise company Be. Accessible with the aim of making New Zealand accessible and inclusive for all people with disabilities.
The company was rebranded as Be. Lab in 2019 and has the over-arching aspiration for society to transition from the existing deficit-based view of people with access needs as having a disability.
Baragwanath said it was about reframing everyone’s understanding of the concept of accessibility, and finally shifting to understanding the value and possibility these members of the community presented.
“The language is important as it encourages everyone to think of possibilities rather than limitations.
“As we age, we will all experience some level of disability so everyone benefits from improved accessibility. Another important word is ‘with’ because working with rather than for people leads to effective solutions for everyone.”
Baragwanath said the inspiration to write a book came to her during an interview.
“I was asked what it was like to be a blind woman and a chief executive of a company,” she said.
“It got me thinking about how I had got there and it occurred to me that all the life-changing things I’ve experienced might resonate with people.”
In 2022, Baragwanath strongly felt her story was ready to come out so she organised her life to make space to devote to writing, and in five months she had written the book.
As someone who had wanted to write since childhood, she realised she now had the technology to be a writer.
Her setup includes a large print keyboard and she uses the speech writer programme Jaws and magnifier reader Zoom Text.
Baragwanath said having a smartphone had been “life-changing” and was making life easier as she “maps” her way around Whanganui during her exploratory walks with Floyd.
Blindingly Obvious was edited by former publishing director of Penguin Group (NZ) Geoff Walker who now works as an independent publishing consultant.
“Geoff said he was impressed with my ability to write lengthy, complex paragraphs and it occurred to me that I had developed the habit of writing for the ear rather than the eye.
“He has given me such great feedback and assurances about my writing style.”
The style of Blindingly Obvious is conversational and Baragwanath tells her life story as if the reader is sitting on her couch.
Her vision loss is not the only health challenge Baragwanath has faced and she writes about the experiences in a way that conveys how devastating they were without any sense that she took them personally. There are no “poor me” stories in the book.
“A friend who has read it told me she started to switch off when she got to the part about forming a company.
“I know some readers won’t find that interesting but I hope that a lot will and that people will be inspired to perhaps follow through on their own ideas.”
Baragwanath said many of her achievements had been spurred by people telling her that her aims were not achievable.
Whanganui is an agreeable new chapter in her life so far and she’s impressed by the “creative energy” of the place.
“Lesley and the staff at Paiges Book Gallery have been wonderful and I’m deeply appreciative that deputy mayor Helen Craig offered her home as a venue for my Whanganui book launch.
“I don’t have definite plans to write another book at this stage but part of my reason for moving here is that I think it will be a good place for writing.”
Liz Wylie is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. She joined the editorial team in 2014 and regularly covers stories from Whanganui and the wider region. She also writes features and profile stories.
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