Photos of 'grim' campsite where dad and three kids lived before he was shot dead show worrying truth

Police in New Zealand have released photos of the campsite where Tom Phillips and his three children were staying after the dad was shot dead following a shootout with the law.

Phillips took his three children, Jayda, 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9 who he did not have legal custody of, and disappeared from their home in late 2021, with the family evading law enforcement and only being spotted sporadically.

The dad was also connected to a number of crimes including driving a stolen car and an armed bank robbery, while last month he was caught on camera appearing to try and break into a shop alongside one of his children.

The New Zealand man was eventually brought down after trying to rob a farm store in Te Kūiti before attempting to escape on a quad bike, which police stopped using road spikes.

Phillips then opened fire on the officers with a high powered rifle, hitting one of them in the head and seriously wounding them, before he was shot dead by police.

Police have released images of the campsite (New Zealand Police)

Jayda, the eldest of his children, was with him at the time and showed officers where their wilderness campsite was, with police since releasing photos that show their living conditions.

The girl also remarked that there were other firearms at the camp and at least one other gun was recovered from the campsite along with ammunition.

Tarpaulins and camouflage nets covered their living quarters while investigators found a portable stove, a gas cylinder and other equipment to help the dad and his three children survive.

Investigators said the camp was 'very dirty' and 'not very nice for children', but there's something else about it which interests them most of all and that's the indication that Tom Phillips had outside help.

Police had considered that the truth of the matter might be the man received assistance from others in living off the grid and Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Saunders explained how the campsite was helping them put the pieces together.

He described the campsite as 'very grim', explaining the location was 'difficult to access, well-hidden and highlights the challenging environment the family used as their base'.

Police say the campsite indicates Phillips had outside help (New Zealand Police)

"We are currently looking at a number of items at the site. Aside from the burglaries we are now able to link to Tom, it is apparent that he had outside help," he said.

"As the investigation has been going on, we’ve always suspected Tom Phillips has been receiving help.

"We think it’s absolutely important that we continue to look for those people that have been supporting Tom Phillips and hold them accountable."

Officers will be opening a new investigation in an attempt to identify whether the objects from the camp came from his own possession, various burglaries he was linked to or if someone bought them for him.

Cat, the children's mother, welcomed the finding of her kids but said she was 'saddened by how events unfolded'.

At present, the children are in the care of the authorities, who said they were 'engaging with the staff' and would get whatever help they needed.