[1] In 1986, along with Baye Riddell, he founded Ngā Kaihanga Uku, the national Māori clayworkers' organisation in New Zealand.
A reciprocal visit took place in 1991 and he continued to foster links to indigenous peoples with a clay tradition in the Pacific and in North America.
[3] He was a foundation member of Te Atinga, the visual arts committee of Toi Māori Aotearoa.
[4] Nathan exhibited widely around the world and was actively engaged with cultural exchanges with indigenous peoples of Japan, Australia, the Pacific, the United States and Canada.
He was inducted into the College of Creative Arts Toi Rauwharangi (Massey University) Hall of Fame in 2010, along with textile designer Avis Higgs.