Tom Phillips, who had eluded New Zealand police with his three children for almost four years, was killed in a roadside shootout on Monday after officers intercepted him and one of the children following a burglary in the Waikato region, police said. An officer was shot in the head and is in critical condition; backup officers returned fire and killed Phillips at the scene. Hours later, the other two children were found alive at a hidden campsite.
The three children — Jayda, 12; Maverick, 10; and Ember, 9 — were with Phillips when he vanished from his remote coastal hometown of Marokopa, on New Zealand’s North Island, in September 2021. Authorities said the family had been living off the grid in dense bushland near Marokopa for years while Phillips evaded one of the country’s most extensive manhunts.
Police intercepted Phillips and Jayda in the rural town of Piopio early on Monday after CCTV showed them breaking into a farm supply store using an angle grinder, then fleeing on a quad bike, authorities said. Officers deployed road spikes to stop the vehicle. When officers approached, Phillips opened fire at close range and shot one officer in the head, police said. Backup officers returned fire and Phillips was killed instantly. The shooting occurred in view of Jayda.
Later on Monday, Jayda provided information to investigators that led police about 2 kilometres from the shooting site to a camouflaged campsite in bushland, where Maverick and Ember were found alive and taken into the care of authorities. Police photographs of the campsite showed soft drink cans, tyres, a metal container and camouflaged belongings scattered through the undergrowth, and officers recovered firearms from the location, police said.
The case traces back to Sept. 11, 2021, when Phillips, then 34, first disappeared with Jayda, then 8; Maverick, then 6; and Ember, then 5. His truck was found abandoned on a nearby beach, prompting a 17-day search by helicopters, ground crews and naval vessels. The family returned unharmed after more than two weeks; Phillips told police they had been camping in the bush to "clear his head." He was later charged with causing the wasteful deployment of police resources. Police later suggested that disappearance may have been a test for a longer flight from authorities.
On Dec. 20, 2021, Phillips disappeared with the children again and did not return. He had been due in court on the earlier charge and a warrant was issued for his arrest. By that time, Phillips no longer had legal custody of the children and police have said the disappearance was linked to a custody dispute with the children's mother.
Over the following years Phillips and the children were the subject of frequent sightings and sightings captured on CCTV. Police believe the family lived rough in remote bushland through harsh winters and that Phillips must have received outside assistance to survive. In May 2023, Phillips was accused of robbing a bank in Te Kūiti with a shotgun. In August 2023 he was filmed on CCTV at a Hamilton Bunnings store, disguised and buying supplies. In October 2024, pig hunters in dense bush near Marokopa encountered the family and later passed photos to police showing Phillips armed with a rifle while the children carried heavy packs.
Reports and leads continued into 2025. A motorist reported seeing a man walking with three children along a highway in February but police later discounted that sighting. In August, CCTV captured Phillips and one of the children breaking into a rural store in Piopio. Police set up further operations in the area as sightings and intelligence suggested the family remained in the region.
Police and government welfare officials said the three children are now together, settled and comfortable in state care. A government spokesperson, Warwick Morehu, said a reintegration plan for the children had been developed over four years and would now be implemented. Authorities did not provide further details about the plan or the children's immediate placement, citing privacy and welfare considerations.
Investigators are continuing inquiries into the armed robberies, the fatal shooting of Phillips and the shooting of the officer, and have treated the area as an active crime scene. Police said they recovered firearms at the campsite and are examining the items and evidence from the Piopio burglaries and the shootout. A reward of NZ$80,000 that had been offered during the manhunt was never claimed.
Police did not release the name of the injured officer. Hospital and police officials said the officer remains in critical condition. Authorities have urged anyone with information about the case to come forward to assist ongoing investigations.
The death of Phillips ends a prolonged, high-profile search that spanned nearly four years and drew national attention to custody disputes, rural policing and the challenges of locating people living off-grid in New Zealand’s rugged terrain. The focus now, officials said, is on the welfare and recovery of the three children and the legal and investigative work that will follow the shootings.