Tom Phillips, a fugitive wanted on multiple charges, was shot dead by police early Monday after officers intercepted him and his daughter on a quad bike following an alleged armed robbery. Three of his children — Jayda, 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9 — were found in nearby bush campsites and are now in the care of authorities, police said.
As specialist police approached a final campsite in the remote Waikato bush, officers say they encountered Maverick holding a rifle. Negotiators, described by Police Commissioner Richard Chambers as “very highly trained and skilled,” engaged with the children and convinced them to put the firearm down, Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Saunders said. Jayda, who was with Phillips when he was killed in a roadside shootout, assisted police by indicating the presence of firearms at the site and advising on how to approach her younger siblings without making them feel threatened.
Police said the campsite contained firearms and items consistent with long-term living in the bush, including cooking equipment, drink containers, gas bottles, soda cans and a makeshift shelter constructed from branches and tarpaulin. Officers also towed a quad bike stocked with animal food from the scene. Photographs released by police showed camouflaged belongings and scattered supplies, but investigators said the site appeared temporary and was in terrain that had been searched previously.
The confrontation that ended Phillips’ time on the run followed an interception after an alleged armed robbery of a rural farm supply store near the small town of Piopio. Police deployed road spikes; officers say Phillips opened fire at close range, striking an officer in the head. That officer remains in critical condition. Phillips was then shot and killed by police.
Authorities launched an intensive inquiry into how Phillips and his children survived for nearly four years in rugged countryside and who may have aided them. Police have long believed Phillips had outside help as law enforcement increased patrols in the area, and Det. Saunders said investigators are now focused on identifying anyone suspected of assisting the family. Phillips had a history of offending, including an alleged armed bank robbery in 2023 in which he was accompanied by a child and reportedly fired at a member of the public while fleeing.
Phillips initially disappeared with the children in December 2021; a previous disappearance three months earlier prompted a large search after his truck was found abandoned on a beach. On that occasion, Phillips and the children re-emerged from forested land after 17 days and he was charged with wasting police resources, but he disappeared again before appearing in court. Police offered a reward of NZ$80,000 during the ensuing search period but said no one came forward to report the family’s location.
Commissioner Chambers said investigators believe the family did not travel far from their rural settlement of Marokopa and that search teams likely passed close to the campsites at various times. "It's highly likely that we've been very, very close — if not right there," Chambers said. The case has divided opinion in the local area and online; some residents previously voiced support for Phillips, a response Chambers rejected, saying, "No one who does this to children, no one who unleashes high-powered rifles on my staff, is a hero."
The children’s mother, Cat, issued a brief statement after police confirmed Phillips’ death, saying the family had been "dearly missed every day for nearly four years" and expressing relief that the ordeal had ended. She said the family looked forward to welcoming the children home "with love and care" while also mourning how events unfolded.
A High Court judge on Monday night granted a temporary injunction preventing police or news outlets from disclosing certain details of the case. Police and government officials said those restrictions are intended to protect the children and to allow for a carefully managed recovery plan. Police Minister Mark Mitchell said the children had been exposed to "things that children in our country should not be," and noted the complexity of returning them to a safe and healthy pathway.
Police will continue forensic and intelligence work at the campsites and in the surrounding area, and have urged anyone with information about assistance provided to Phillips during his time in the bush to come forward. Investigators also plan to review CCTV and other material linking Phillips to recent burglaries and alleged thefts of supplies that sustained the family during their years off the grid.
The three children remain under state care and have not been reunited with their mother, officials said. Authorities declined to disclose further details about the children’s condition or the ongoing investigation, citing the court injunction and the need to protect their welfare.