It’s not uncommon in this town to come across someone with more than one job, but running three businesses simultaneously and being contracted to provide services for a fourth sounds … exhausting.

Not so for Verity Lawrence, who seems positively energised by her full and diverse work programme.

Verity is qualified as an interior architect, a sailing instructor and a yoga teacher and recently established Wanaka’s first design library for professionals involved in the industry of construction and interior design.

While her professional career in interior design has been her primary focus since she completed her four year qualification in 2007, she has turned her hand to many employment opportunities, from event management to visitor accommodation. She spent 10 years in Greece, where amongst other things, she established an English-Greek advertising newspaper, similar to Wanaka’s The Messenger.

When a youngster loses confidence, the sailing coach has to bring the boat home. PHOTO: Jeannine Tuffin

Born in 1983 in Dublin, Ireland, Verity’s first trip to New Zealand was in 2012 when she worked for a year in a Queenstown backpackers, catching up with her twin sister who lives there, and spending a lot of time in the local Bikram yoga studio.

She returned to New Zealand in 2014 when she was offered work managing high-end Cavit & Co’s furniture and furnishings retail showroom in Arrowtown and spent three years there as their interior designer.

Her heart, though, yearned to be back on the water. An enthusiastic sailor “pretty much my whole life”, she contacted several local sailing clubs but only the Wanaka Yacht Club (WYC) responded and, after a couple of years as part-time volunteer coach, she was offered the role of senior sailing coach.

Verity says the young sailors are “amazing - so enthusiastic”. PHOTO: Dillon Charleville

It was this role and a desire to further her independent career in interior design which saw Verity relocate to Wanaka in 2017.

Verity said she’s been a sailing instructor for over 20 years and learned to sail in a similar environment to Wanaka, where conditions on the lake can swiftly change.

“Sailing in Wanaka is always challenging; it keeps me on my toes and it means I can never go into a day of teaching with a fixed plan. You have to adapt.” 

She said the WYC reminded her of her old club in that it was a community: everyone gave each other a hard time on the water but got on well, and students wanted to be there to learn - it wasn’t just a babysitting service.

Yoga and sailing retreats combine two of Verity’s passions. PHOTO: Supplied

“The kids are amazing here. They’re very enthusiastic and so polite, and their parents are so involved,” she said. 

Verity said the sailing environment really appeals to some kids. She remembers she didn’t enjoy school but flourished at her local sailing club, and she’s very aware of those types of kids who come to the club.

“You could be that nerdy kid in school who loves the tactician’s role or you could be the jock who just loves to go fast, there’s something for everybody in sailing.”

She also reckons the WYC is “100 per cent on the right track” expanding its younger membership, boys and girls equally, and encouraging more women to take up sailing.

Verity (left) and business partner Penny Calder at their Design Library in Wanaka. PHOTO: Wanaka App

“Working for the yacht club is amazing, and there’s so many women at the club now - it’s brilliant.” 

A spin off of her success as the WYC sailing instructor was the ability to combine sailing with another passion, yoga, something she’s long dreamed of achieving.  

Two years ago she started her first one-day, or weekend “yoga-sailing retreats” in collaboration with the yacht club. She averages about six people on each course, usually held a couple of times a year, and says they seem to attract yoga enthusiasts who have never sailed before.

Verity teaches vinyasa and yin yoga classes in Luggate and the yin classes, a slow-paced, relaxing, therapeutic style of yoga, are packed, she said.

All these different roles have actually provided her with an unexpected bonus for her interior design career - a mini network of previously unconnected people. She now has clients she met through yoga classes or a sailing lesson. 

And her professional career has taken another leap forward with the establishment of the Architecture + Design Library in partnership with fellow local designer Penny Calder.

Design centres are mostly in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and professionals in a small town like Wanaka have to depend on visiting reps or ordering samples online, which is far from ideal, she said.

Establishing a design centre here was the solution. Suppliers have space to display their products, from fabric to tiles, carpet to hardware, and designers can become library members and borrow the samples via an app.

Verity said Wanaka is stacked with independent interior designers, many operating from the kitchen table at home with a few boxes of samples. In contrast, their library offers choice with a growing sample library, and with eight desks, private offices and two meeting rooms, it also provides a professional base to bring clients. 

The business opened its doors on Frederick Street last October and is already attracting likeminded independent industry professionals. Ultimately, they would like to host a variety of professionals, including landscape designers, engineers and draughts-people.  

“We want to have it so that you have all these independent people working together who can also collaborate together.”

So, is Verity a workaholic, or just really focused and well organised?

“I’ve tried to have just one job because I got sick of people asking me what I did and when I told them it was like when are you going to get a real job,” she said.

“But I’ve decided this is how I like to do things, to have multiple interests. I could have a really stressful day designing but then I’ll go teach the kids on the water, or I’ll teach yoga, so I’ll end my day in a calm place. 

“It’s crazy but it works for me, and people don’t find it odd here [in Wanaka] which is really nice.”