Tom Phillips, a New Zealand man who had been on the run for almost four years with his three children, was shot dead by police early Monday after an attempted burglary in the Waikato region that ended in a gunbattle that also left a police officer critically injured.
A member of the public reported seeing two people — a man and a child — attempting to break into an agricultural supplies store in the hamlet of Piopio at about 2:30 a.m., police said. The pair fled the scene on a quad bike and were later stopped by spike strips. Officers who approached the stopped quad were fired upon; one officer was struck in the head and airlifted to hospital with injuries described as critical but survivable. A second patrol returned fire and Phillips died at the scene. A child found with him, identified by police as his daughter Jayda, was taken into custody and later assisted officers in locating her two younger siblings.
Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers said officers discovered the quad bike laden with supplies and a number of firearms at the scene. Aerial images released by police showed the off‑road vehicle on the verge beside the road, firearms nearby and two police cars a short distance behind. "The first attending police officer at the scene has come across that stopped quad bike and been confronted by gun fire at close range," Rogers told reporters. "Our officer has been struck in the head, he’s immediately fallen to the ground and taken cover. Soon after, a second patrol unit arrived and engaged the offender and he has died at the scene."
Police said the two younger children were located in a self-made campsite roughly a mile from the shooting site and were found safe and well in difficult, near-freezing conditions. Rogers said their discovery after nearly four years on the run offered "an absolute relief" but cautioned that the children face a long recovery and that their welfare remains the top priority. The scene has been locked down for forensic examination that police expect will last several days.
The three children — Jayda, 12; Maverick, 10; and Ember, 9 — had been missing from their mother since December 2021. Their mother issued a statement saying she was "deeply relieved" the ordeal had ended and that the family looked forward to "welcoming them home with love and care." She added she was "saddened by how events unfolded today" and expressed support for the injured officer.
Phillips, 38, first disappeared with his children in September 2021 when his 4x4 was found abandoned on a shoreline with empty child seats. He later returned with the children and said the family had been camping in dense bushland. He was charged with wasting police time and resources but left again with the children in December 2021, prompting an arrest warrant after he failed to appear in court.
Over the next three years Phillips evaded capture while repeatedly appearing in public debate and in sporadic sightings. In May 2023 he was alleged to have stolen a motorcycle and, accompanied by a smaller female accomplice, held up a bank at gunpoint; he was later charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding and unlawful possession of a firearm. In October a cellphone video taken by teenagers showed a bearded man in camouflage carrying a rifle followed by three smaller figures; police deployed aerial searches but did not locate the group.
CCTV footage released in recent weeks showed Phillips and a child attempting to force entry into a store in Piopio with an angle grinder. Police said the same pair returned to the area weeks later and tried to enter an agricultural supplies store shortly before the shooting. Investigators are examining why a child accompanied Phillips on raids; some police and community members have speculated it may have been intended to deter intervention, but authorities have not confirmed a motive for the children's presence during criminal incidents.
Community reaction to Phillips's long absence and to his death has been divided. Early after the initial 2021 disappearance some members of the public expressed sympathy, arguing he was a father seeking an alternative upbringing for his children. Other residents, the children's mother and police criticised those who sheltered or assisted him, saying such support prolonged the children's separation from their family and put others at risk. The mother has previously called assisting Phillips equivalent to supporting child abuse.
Police have said they will investigate how Phillips managed to remain at large for so long and whether he received support from others while living in remote terrain described by authorities as inhospitable. Rogers thanked officers and members of the public who assisted in the operation and said police would continue work to establish the full circumstances of the shooting.
Psychologists and child welfare experts warned that the children are likely to face significant psychological consequences from years in isolation and from their father's death. Rogers said authorities will not disclose details about the children's current location or mental state as they begin a supervised recovery and reintegration process.
The injured officer underwent surgery and is expected to require additional procedures, police said. Forensic teams and detectives will continue to process the scene, interview witnesses and search for evidence that could explain how Phillips sustained supplies and weapons while evading authorities for nearly four years. The case has prompted renewed scrutiny of community networks in remote areas and of police tactics in long-running missing‑persons and fugitive investigations.