Police say there may be more Marokopa campsites, 'helpful information' provided

Police investigating the Tom Phillips case say there may be more campsites where he hid with his three children while on the run.

Officers revealed details about four “primary campsites” after Phillips was shot dead – but said in a response to a 1News inquiry this week that there may be further locations.

They also said they are getting “some helpful information” from the local community.

Phillips went on the run with his children in December 2021, living rough in dense Waikato bush for four years. He died after opening fire on police on September 8 this year. An officer wounded in the shootout is doing well in his recovery.

The fuguitive father was with one of his children at the scene of the fatal shooting and had three firearms with him. A further five firearms were found at the main camps.

An aerial shot of the scene of a shootout between police and Tom Phillips which left the fugitive dead and an officer critically injured. (Source: 1News)

Asked if there may be more campsites, police said: “The bush around Marokopa is dense and difficult to navigate. While we believe we have found the primary campsites, it is not possible to say with absolute certainty that we have found every site where the family stayed.”

Inquiries into the case continue, leading police to decline to provide a range of information requested by 1News, such as the type of weapons and ammunition in Phillips’ possession.

One of the lines of inquiry has been into who assisted Phillips while he was on the run. No charges have yet been laid and local information will be crucial to the investigation.

“We have received some helpful information from the community and continue to urge anyone who can assist our inquiries to come forward,” a police spokesperson told 1News.

Police are continuing to search and examine what was believed to be the main campus of Tom Phillips and his children in recent months. (Source: NZ Police)

Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers cited in an Official Information Act response that the multiple investigations ongoing were the reason why specific details about the shooting would not be divulged.

“While I acknowledge there is a significant public interest in the events surrounding the shooting and the search for Tom Phillips and his children, it is important that these investigations are not prejudiced by premature release of relevant information,” she said.