A photo at Bunnings in Te Rapa, Hamilton, shows the man police believe is Phillips wearing a white beanie, a surgical mask covering his face, glasses and a blue jacket. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police
Police say they believe the father of three missing children is setting up a campsite after being spotted making purchases at Bunnings earlier this month.
Tom Phillips and his three children Jayda, 10, Maverick, 8, and Ember, 7 were reported missing from Marokopa by family on 18 January, 2022. It was not the first time Phillips had taken the children and disappeared.
Police earlier said Phillips' second disappearance breached a parenting order and there was a warrant out for his arrest after he failed to appear in court in relation to their first disappearance in September 2021, which had sparked an extensive search.
Last week, police went door-to-door in the Pomarangi, Te Anga and Marokopa Road areas in their search for him after confirmed sightings earlier this month.
They had also appealed for sightings of a number of motorbikes connected with the case.
It was previously revealed Phillips was seen several times by Waikato locals earlier this month - the first confirmed sightings of him since early last year. His children were not with him.
A photo of a man police believe is Phillips, seen at Bunnings in Te Rapa about 4pm on 2 August, showed him wearing a white beanie, a surgical mask covering his face, glasses and a blue jacket.
He was also spotted at a Bunnings on Kahikatea Drive in Hamilton South that afternoon.
On Tuesday evening, police revealed he had used a large amount of cash to make purchases at both stores, including headlamps, batteries, seedlings, buckets and gumboots, which suggested he may be setting up a campsite.
Photo: Supplied / Police
Police said they were following all available lines of inquiry and continued to ask people with new information to come forward.
"Our priority is, and has always been, working to locate Tom and the children to ensure their welfare, and we have continued to follow up on information reported to us where relevant.
"We know Tom has been sighted at retail locations across the Waikato region, but we need people to stay alert and to contact police immediately if they become suspicious.
"We also urge people not to take any action themselves - to call 111 with immediate or current information or 105 for past information that needs to be followed up [reference file number 211218/5611]."
Police have also set up a dedicated email address for people to report any information they may have - op.curly@police.govt.nz
In the evening on 2 August, Phillips was involved in an altercation in Kāwhia.
A stolen 2003 bronze-coloured Toyota Hilux flat-deck ute driven by Phillips was seen in Pokuru near Te Awamutu, in Te Rapa, and in Kāwhia on three separate occasions that day. It has since been recovered by police.