Sixth son of Ngan Gee Choy and Li Jun. Ngan's public sculptures and artworks are a common sight around the greater Wellington area, including on the sides of the Reserve Bank Building, Archives New Zealand Building, on Wakefield Street, inside Parliament Buildings, in Stokes Valley, as well as around New Zealand. In the 1983 Queen's Birthday Honours he was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to the arts.