Welcome.

Have you ever found yourself at a wedding or event where you know no one and you are trying to start a conversation with people you have only just met?

Or how about your boss asks you to put on a family day for all the employees and their kids, what activities do you book that will help people to interact making the day fun and successful?

Here at Woodbotherer games we understand, and being a family of introverts we have discovered the common ground and fun of playing games together is a REALLY good way to connect with people.

We are Phil and Sam, partners in life for over twenty years and the creative minds behind Woodbotherer Games.  

Making things has always been a big part of our lives, Phil has been working as a carpenter for over 25 years and Sam started her first creative business fresh out of Art College at 21 and has not looked back.

Raising our two children rekindled memories of playing board games during our own childhood. Phil remembered many evenings spent playing a bagatelle game from his grandfather and he started making wooden games to play with his own kids and friends who were over for a visit.

In 2013 Phil was commissioned to design and make some giant versions of traditional wooden games for Auckland’s newly created Silo Park. Inclusive and super fun, the games were a hit with young and old and the idea of a hire business was born.

We wanted to share with a wider audience the joy of connection and learning through games that our family, friends and community had experienced. Hiring was also a big environmental bonus and is more cost effective for our customers.

Developing the collection of games to the selection we have today was a LOT of fun! 

Since Phil was always tinkering with wood in the workshop, Sam and the kids called him the Woodbotherer and it became a natural fit as a name for our new business.

Involved in environmental activism in our early relationship cemented strong sustainability principles in our lives and work. We believe in ‘treading lightly’, and we do this by the choices we make. We use local and FSC wood, choose natural finishes and the best materials for the job so the pieces are long lasting, often becoming family heirlooms. Making everything ourselves we build strong but beautiful with plastic use kept to an absolute minimum. 


“We believe fun and play is for everyone - no matter your age”

Our games such as Counter Balance and Zig Zag (featured) are designed to get brains firing and fine motor skills honed.

Young children can roll the Millstone or explore the wooden pieces of Noughts and Crosses. Rules can be followed or thrown out - the game pieces are equally fun used in creative free play. 

“We once went to collect some of our games from a wedding and found the guests still playing Wall Ball the morning after. They had set a challenge and had the route down to under ten seconds.

Not bad with a hangover!” 


We love hearing the stories from our clients about how our games bring out the playful, creative and competitive sides of their guests, connecting people across the generations. Games like our Giant Connect 4 and Giant Jenga bring out the kid in the most serious of people. 

Woodbotherer Games is not just a business to us, it’s both a way of life and a way to bring joy into the world and hopefully help make connecting with others that little bit easier.

Thanks for being part of the joy.