Call him the Little Engine That Could. Always powering upward.

In the 1970s Nev Hyman moved his humble surfboard operation from country town Perth to bustling Burleigh Heads, he progressed and improved till in the 90s he was one of the world’s most sought after shapers, and then in the 00s he rolled his knowledge into Firewire furthering the potential of computer shaping and combining it with less toxic materials.

And then Nev left the industry…

In 2012 Nev Hyman resurfaced, still working in materials and production, though the cause was more righteous than surfboard design. NevHouse was his new project; low-cost emergency housing made from recycled plastics that could be assembled by non-expert local labour. Nev designed the housing with architect Ken McBryde, their objective being two-pronged: divert plastic from landfill, create housing for the needy.

And it’s been a fantastic success. Originally they slated a roll out in Papua New Guinea, however they diverted their efforts when Cyclone Pam devastated the southern islands of Vanuatu in 2015. Nev and his team built fourteen structures in eight weeks, each could hold 100 people and withstand a category 5 cyclone. Testament to the success is that NevHouse now has a mandate from the Prime Minister of Vanuatu to construct 40,000 more homes there.

40,000 more homes!

One of the first NevHouses in Tanna, Vanuatu (Grambeau)

To power this upward expansion the Little Engine That Could has truly gone global. He’s inviting the monied folk aboard and selling them his brand of philanthrocapitalism, something Nev calls ‘Doing Well by Doing Good’.

More specifically, Nev has launched a Luxembourg-based fund to finance the construction of a branded eco village on the Gold Coast. It’s called the NevEarth Fund and the EUR20 million (AU$30 million) they’ll raise will bankroll production plants for plastic recycling and panel construction in the eco village. It’ll become the regional manufacturing hub for Oceania.

“The Gold Coast is my home, and the place where I built an internationally successful surfboard brand, but it is the perfect location for the NevHouse eco village, given its natural environment and strong transport links,” says Nev.

As expected, the Gold Coast village is but the first step in an ever-upward trajectory. Nev says the village will then be used as a template for other regional roll outs. They’re already getting interest from Mexico and Peru.

Today the Little Engine That Could will deliver a speech in Westminster Hall, London. 1,200 professionals from the financial sector will be in the audience listening to a bloke from country town Perth explain his approach to housing humanity.

Housing humanity? His ambitions are enormous, but don’t say the Little Engine can’t do it.