Inside the key code utilized by the dad on the run along with his three children

Supporters of a father who ran off into the New Zealand wilderness with his kids three years ago use a secret code to tell him when police are around and supplies are running low.

Tom Phillips ran off into the hills surrounding Marokopa, south of Auckland, with Jayda, 11, Maverick, nine, and Ember, eight, in December 2021 and were feared dead until October 3 when they were spotted roaming around a nearby property.

Teenage pig hunters, who originally thought they were poachers, filmed the family as they walked along dressed army gear with hoods and carrying backpacks.

The sighting which reignited a police search that was largely dormant for three years, but efforts failed and the family haven’t been seen since.

Some locals think Phillips is a hero who has only tried to protect his children from the family courts, while others believe he should return the kids to their mother, Cat, and hand himself in.

But they all agree that Phillips is getting help from others in the area, citing the unlikelihood of evading police survive two freezing winters with small kids for three years.

Now, Daily Mail Australia can reveal his helpers leave secret signs around their properties to alert Phillips to situation changes.

Tom Phillips (pictured) disappeared from the New Zealand town of Marokopa in December 2021 with his three kids

Pictured: The Phillips family walking through the hills surrounding Marokopa on October 3

Jayda (left), now 11, Maverick (centre), 9, and Ember (right), 8, disappeared from the New Zealand town of Marokopa in December 2021 

One local resident, who did not want to be named, said: ‘They have codes.’

‘Something like a red tea towel out on the line today means that your supplies are ready.’

‘Pair of socks hanging in the window means don’t come near the place because there are cops sitting out there.’

‘I know that for a fact.’ 

He described the community as tight-knit, friendly, and willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt.

‘You know, if you’re on the land and you haven’t been convicted or anything, I think people like that give you the benefit of the doubt, as they say,’ he explained.

‘They’ll give you a bag of chocolates and some sugar and tea be on your way, I would think I would probably do the same thing.’

The Phillips family have been wandering through farmland and dense forest for three years (pictured: the wilderness around Marokopa)

One local said people have secret codes to tell Phillips when police are around. Pictured: The town of Marokopa

Phillips is wanted by police for allegations of theft and breaching a custody order, but he has no convictions.

The man said his primary concern would be the children’s welfare because they’ve been without proper healthcare for three years.

‘They should be going to school,’ he added. 

‘But it’s commendable that he’s looked after the kids so well, because he can’t take him to a hospital without declaring them.

‘Regardless of what the police have said about the man, I think he’s, he’s done pretty well.’

Daily Mail Australia this week revealed locals don’t believe Phillips was the thief who robbed an ANZ bank in Te Kuiti in 2023, despite police reports.

They know who the real robber was.

Pictured: Two people on a motorbike, who police say was Phillips and his daughter after allegedly robbing an ANZ Bank

‘It wasn’t Tom,’ one woman said. ‘My friend works at the bank and she knows … It wasn’t Tom.’

One of the pig hunter spoke to the eldest daughter, Jayda, as she followed her father through the hills with her face covered with a mask.

They told her the property was private.

She said: ‘Yeah…duh.

The teen asked: ‘Does anyone know you’re on here?’

She said: No, just you guys.’

An $80,000 reward was offered in June 2023 for information that could locate the three children, but it expired after eight weeks with no result.