As with many artists, she fell into her specialty.
Years ago, she was working at the pottery cafe at the Morris and James pottery factory near Matakana, when she met one of the founders Anthony Morris.
She started to do a few workshops and learn from him in the studio, and found a love for the art form which she says is all about the process.
"It is the process. With artists and makers, whatever you do, you have got to really like the process because that is what you spend time doing.
"The finished product is a millisecond. It goes out and it is gone. Tthe process is where you live."
That said, the finished products are pretty special. While Miss Courtenay pays her way through the gorgeous tableware sold across Wanaka in various pastel shades, she works just as hard on her sculptures, which she would like to become her trademark.
"I really want to get better with my sculpture practice. It is slower than this, but it is rewarding and creative.
"That has always kind of been in the background, so I created this job to keep me in the studio."
The sculptures can be found at her home base in Cardrona, and are often inspired by the surrounding mountains and rivers. She has collected countless stones from the Cardrona River, made identical lightweight ceramic rock versions and returned the stones to their rightful place, the riverbed.
She said the colours she uses for the tableware too, are inspired by Wanaka’s surroundings.
"I like the experimentation. I put colour in the clay and it is really fun coming up with a new colour and not knowing how it is going to look until it comes out of the firing kiln, which is two weeks after you start making it. So it is slow and a surprise.
"For me it is good. It makes me release a bit of control. I am not so precious."
She said the blue is her most thought-out colour as it was inspired by the shadows of the mountains in Cardrona.
Originally from a small town called Leigh near Matakana, she is not bothered by the isolation. In fact it suits her for creativity.
She moved to Cardona when her mother’s dream of starting an animal sanctuary became reality, and Kind Farm was born eight years ago.
Miss Courtenay said she had a respect for texture, time, and for the quiet satisfaction of things made slowly.
"I have always returned to clay for its grounded-ness, unpredictability, and strength."
Alongside her studio work, she also hosts seasonal workshops and gatherings that connect people to creativity, food, and land.
"I like being able to sit down and play with people. Because when I am working in here I am more serious. I see people try clay for the first time and it make me fall in love again with it.
"I’m continually inspired by the land, the objects we use every day, and the tension between permanence and fragility. This practice is slow and shifting, but always grounded in care."
The 31-year-old owns her own kiln at the studio, which runs to a temperature of 1200°C to set the paint on the clay.
She loves the rich history of pottery, and being able to follow her own very definitive style.
