On December 8 the couple, both in their 80s, were enjoying a quiet day in Waikanae, north of Wellington, in the house Mr Phillips built.
Mr Phillips said a teenager appeared at the house claiming to have information about firewood deliveries. "I was in bed and my wife came to get me," he said. "I came out but he'd gone."
Mr Phillips said he then noticed his wallet was missing, and suspected the youth had snatched it when nobody was looking.
The retired builder called police, who arrived within a few minutes and told him how to cancel his bank cards.
There was no reason to give much more thought to the strange incident - but Mr Phillips said that was not the end of it.
"He came back when we were asleep ... he beat us up."
The couple barely remember the horrific attack.
"Apparently we were knocked out, on the floor, with blood all over the place," Mr Phillips said.
Their car was allegedly stolen immediately after the home invasion.
Incredibly, they nurse no resentment towards the teenager accused of attacking them.
"It's best to let the courts decide what to do," Mrs Phillips said.
"We don't want any harsh treatment on the guy," her husband added. "I think he's just an opportunist. It seems rather pointless, really. The guy's got nothing and ended up in jail himself, which is rather stupid."
Mr Phillips said he wanted to emphasise his gratitude to police, who recovered his car within two days and had supported the couple after the traumatic event.
The couple were also grateful to their nieces and nephews, who lived nearby, and to neighbours and the Neighbourhood Watch team who were keeping an eye on the house.
Mr and Mrs Phillips were for now in a Waikanae residential care facility after their release from hospital.
The couple married in 1951 and moved from England in 1966, and said Waikanae had always been peaceful.
"Most people enjoy a pleasant, quiet life in Waikanae," Mr Phillips said.
And the couple would like to return to that quiet life, where they enjoyed tending to their garden and feeding the birds.
"We have heard that the blackbirds and thrushes have missed us because we used to feed them every day," Mrs Phillips said.
A teenager accused of the home invasion will reappear in the Porirua District Court on Friday. He has yet to enter a plea.
- by John Weekes
