The origin Story
Phil Thomson originally designed a bait station to solve the constant problem of wet, inactive bait for possum control in the New Zealand back country. His passion for conservation and his drive to improve pest control tools led him to develop the Philproof bait station over 30 years ago. This lightweight, rain-proof, stackable, and easy-to-fill device was designed for effective pest control in all sorts of conditions. Since then, the product has protected hundreds of thousands of hectares of New Zealand forest and is widely used by conservation groups. The first bait stations were sold at the 1995 Fieldays at Mystery Creek.
Today, Philproof offer a range of bait stations specific to each pest species including rodents, wallabies and rabbits while considering protection of non-target animals, whether it is a curious native bird or your precious pet dog.
Our brand Philproof is the creative combination of the name of the founder (Phil) and the unique water proof design and toughness of our bait stations which protects the bait from moisture ingress even when used in the wet New Zealand bush environment.
Philproof bait stations are used across New Zealand and globally, including Australia and the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, for predator control and conservation work to protect valued animal and plant species.
About Us
Since April 2024 Philproof Ltd has new owners; Gary and Annalise Duffy (née Johns) “We are proud to be the next generation of Philproof.” says Gary.
Both civil engineers, Gary (CEng MICE) and Annalise are passionate about conservation and finding solutions. Together, they will bring new enthusiasm and problem-solving skills to help New Zealand on its quest for predator free. Gary has been a volunteer with the Wakatipu Wildlife Trust and Picton Dawn Chorus while living in those areas.
The brand name "Philproof" was developed by Annalise’s late father (David Johns) in the 1990’s with Phil. “To have a family connection to the brand is not only very special personally but confirms the enduring nature of Philproof product lines.' says Annalise
Away from Philproof, Gary is a keen hunter. He also played rugby in Christchurch, before taking up competitive wood chopping, highland games, mountain biking and a short stint at skiing while in Queenstown. Originally from Ireland and moving to New Zealand in 2012 to help with the Christchurch rebuild, he has worked as a civil engineer on other notable projects such as the Central Planes Water irrigation scheme and more recently, the iReX project in Picton.
