[1] She was a founding member of Auckland Committee on Racism and Discrimination (ACORD) and Tāmaki Treaty Workers, and part of setting up Project Waitangi/Network Waitangi.

[9][11] Nairn was a founding member of the Auckland Committee on Racism and Discrimination (ACORD), a non-Māori group working with Māori which started in the early 1970s.

[13] Nairn was a speaker at a rally supporting Māori fishing rights under the Treaty of Waitangi organised by Halt All Racist Tours (HART), ACORD, Pākehā coalition against racism (PCAR) and others.

[15] In the early 1990s Nairn outlined thinking and methodology of Paulo Freire as a strong influence amongst herself and other activists.

[9] In 2011 Nairn said... "there is hope for Pākehā like me that this country could be a place to be proud of - for its social policies, its inclusiveness, its biodiversity and conservation, its research and development, and its thriving economy, all under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.