New video from inside the Tom Phillips’ police cordon shows vast quantities of what’s believed to be the fugitive’s belongings seized by officers investigating his secret hideouts.
The Herald’s footage was filmed down a narrow, tree-lined gravel track and is 7km from where Phillips was shot dead by police in an early morning shootout.
Phillips’ quad bike and motorbike, discovered by police at the first campsite, are seen next to an air compressor and a pile of debris.
Oil, plastic bins, a milk bottle, tarpaulins, cups, a jigsaw power tool, an air hose, tyres, camping poles and a bike helmet are visible at the site.
Other items include a toilet bowl and three large black plastic fans.
Police have been carrying out a scene examination of the campsites used by Tom Phillips and the area filmed by the Herald appears to be a staging point for investigators.
Police would not confirm this was the case, nor would they speak about the relevance of the items they’ve found.
During the Herald’s flight over the site, nine police officers were seen next to the collection of gear with five police vehicles, one of which was connected to a large white enclosed trailer.
Some of the police staff had hiking poles and protective leggings for bush bashing.
Detective Inspector Daryl Smith said the investigation team has worked tirelessly in difficult conditions to examine multiple scenes since the incident on Monday morning.
“Police staff have spent the last three days canvassing the area, traversing some extremely difficult terrain, in dense bush,” he said.
The collection of gear filmed by the Herald is about 500m off Te Anga Rd, near Waitomo, inside the police cordon.
The presence of such a stash, including the air compressor, tyres, farm bikes and power tools, raises further questions about who was helping Phillips live off grid for so long.
Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Saunders said Wednesday the investigation had shifted to focus on Phillips’ accomplices.
“Aside from the burglaries we are now able to link to Tom, it is apparent that he had outside help,” Saunders said.
Police located Phillips’ remaining children on Monday after his elder daughter Jayda guided them to a campsite.
Police subsequently found another site 200m away from the first, which appeared to be where Phillips and his children had been sleeping and eating.
Police have said Phillips was mobile and likely had multiple campsites but have not said whether the pile of items filmed by the Herald were from the first two sites or from a new site.
During the flight over the bush-clad terrain where Phillips had been hiding, a Herald photographer spotted three other structures.
The white metal containers were deep in the bush and almost completely disguised from the air by the dense tree canopy.
Inside the structures were various power cords and wires, and what appeared to be a generator.
White plastic ducting pipe was seen inside one of the containers which extended up into the bush.
Police wouldn’t say whether the new site filmed by the Herald was connected to Phillips or relevant to the ongoing investigations.
Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won News Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year at the NZ Television Awards. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.