during his time on the show, nick was one of the show's most popular characters and one of the most recognisable faces on new zealand television. he has also been praised as one of the show's most successful comedic characters. upon the show's initial screening, the character of nick received the worst response of the original cast due to his depiction of a typical "westie" (west aucklander). however upon the vast character change, fans of the show praised nick's comedic writing and scenes and he soon became a scene stealer and fan favourite. michael galvin (chris warner) enjoyed the characters development, stating; "when the show started, people wondered what this creature was all about. now he's, like, this comic genius – a buster keaton who talks, crossed with bart simpson. he's just great, so deadpan..." galvin and angela bloomfield (rachel mckenna) later both went on to name nick as their favourite character to star on the show. producer steven zanoski listed nick as one of the best features of the soap, stating: "every nick story is fantastic to write, made more so by the reliability of karl burnett's performance. it's a case of a character evolving to capitalise on the unexpected qualities of the actor." he went on to say: "much of the comedy and pathos we got from nick over 10 years defined the shortland street style, setting it apart from other fast-turnaround tele-drama." the "new zealand woman's day" magazine listed nick as the 4th best character of the soap's first 25 years.