Nan is widely recognised for transforming design education and design thinking through the integration of Indigenous and diverse knowledge systems. As a New Zealander, she embeds mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and Pasifika acumen within design education and praxis across Oceania. Her scholarship and academic leadership emphasise place-based knowledge and plural ways of thinking, doing, and being. She champions ‘doing better’ by ‘being better,” and advocates that our collective realisation of diverse knowledge, systems and histories is essential—globally—to fostering self-determination, enabling equitable outcomes, building strong communities, and advancing sustaining and sustainable transitions towards positive change.