New photos have emerged of the remote campsite where police discovered Tom Phillips’ children, just hours after the New Zealand fugitive was shot dead by officers.
Phillips, who had been on the run with his children Ember, 9, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12, for almost four years, was killed in western Waikato on the upper North Island on Monday morning.
Police confronted Phillips and Jayda on a quad bike following an armed robbery at a farm supply shop in the rural town of Piopio.
His two younger children were found at a campsite 2km from the deadly shootout hours later.
Police have released images of the campsite, which show quad bikes parked among the trees with blankets draped over them. Two cans of Sprite were pictured on one of the tyres, while a large container lay on the ground.
‘Our investigation will help determine what other modes of transport he may have used or others may have helped with,’ New Zealand Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said on Tuesday.
‘No one who does this to children, no one who unleashes high-powered rifles on my staff is a hero. Simple as that.’
Police Minister Mark Mitchell added: ‘They have seen and been exposed to things that children in our country should not be.’
‘There’s a careful plan with everyone becoming involved at the right time in terms of making sure that they’re put on a really strong and healthy pathway to recovery.’
New photos have emerged of the remote campsite where police discovered Tom Phillips’ children hours after the New Zealand fugitive was shot dead by police
The area was surrounded by native New Zealand bush
Police said the children will be given time to settle, but conceded there would come a point when they would need to be interviewed.
Ember, nine, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12, are currently in the care of authorities after spending almost four years on the run with their father, who was shot dead on Monday
The children remain in the care of authorities, who have not said whether they have been reunited with their mother, Cat.
‘I can confirm that the children are settled, they are doing well under the circumstances and engaging with the staff,’ Oranga Tamariki regional commissioner Warwick Morehu said.
‘They are settled, they are comfortable. They are together.
‘I want to assure you all that these tamariki (children) will be provided with whatever help assistance they may need for however long they may need it.’
Multiple firearms were located at the campsite where the children were located.
‘We are interested in how Phillips was able to access multiple firearms,’ Commissioner Chambers said.
‘There’s a lot of work to do over the next few months that will help us determine whether or not there is anybody else that’s been involved.’
He also revealed how close police had come to tracking down the missing family in previous searches.
Police released CCTV of Phillips and one of his children stealing items from a general store in Piopio last month
The two younger children were found at a remote campsite (pictured) located 2km from the deadly shootout
Photos of the campsite released by police show quad bikes with blankets draped over them, parked among the trees
Fugitive Tom Phillips was killed during a shootout with police
The quad bike remains at the scene of deadly shootout on Tuesday
‘Over the last four years, we have covered this terrain, this region a lot,’ Commissioner Chambers said.
‘It’s highly likely that we’ve been very, very close.’
Phillips vanished from the rural town of Marokopa on the North Island in December 2021 with his three children following a custody dispute with their mother.
Despite an NZ$80,000 reward and multiple search operations, the family had been living in the wilderness ever since.
On Monday morning, Phillips and Jayda were spotted stealing from a PGG Wrightson farm supply store in Piopio.
A witness called police at about 2.30am, describing them as being in ‘farm clothing’ and wearing headlamps.
Phillips and Jayda took off on their quad bike, but were stopped by police road spikes about 33km away on Te Anga Road at 3.30am.
Phillips then confronted a lone officer and shot him in the head with a high-powered rifle. When backup arrived, police returned fire, killing Phillips. Jayda was taken into custody.
Mother of the missing Marokopa children Catherine (pictured) has spoken out after her kids were located by police following the shooting death of their fugitive father Tom Phillips
Jayda, Maverick and Ember (all pictured) are settling well in the care of authorities after spending almost four years in the wilderness
Phillips’ two other children, Maverick and Ember, were not present when he was shot, sparking an urgent bush search for the pair.
Police revealed on Monday that Jayda provided ‘vital information to ensure a safe approach’ to help find the other kids.
Mitchell said Phillips had ‘multiple high-powered firearms’ and was ‘very unstable in his thinking’.
‘I think the whole country has seen play out in the last 24 hours just how dangerous the situation was and how it could have ended an even worse tragedy, and that would have been the loss of one, two or three young lives,’ Mitchell said.
Commissioner Chambers said the officer shot by Phillips spent ‘a good chunk’ of Monday in surgery with serious injuries to his head and shoulder.
‘It was very, very close for him,’ he said.
The children’s mother Cat broke her silence in a statement on Monday, saying she was relieved the ordeal had come to an end.
‘They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care,’ she said.
‘At the same time, we are saddened by how events unfolded today. Our hope has always been that the children could be returned in a peaceful and safe way for everyone involved.’
Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers said the body of Phillips will undergo a post-mortem.
‘The body of Tom Phillips was removed from the scene late yesterday and there will be a post-mortem tomorrow, after which his body will be released to his family.’
Tom Phillips, 38, was on the run, hiding out in the wilds of New Zealand. With him are his three children, Jayda, 12, Maverick, ten, and Ember, nine. Pictured: An image of what is believed to be the missing family, taken by a hunter
In summer 2023, Phillips was spotted at a supermarket wearing a medical face mask (pictured). He drove away in a stolen Toyota Hilux
Despite a continuing police search and a £37,000 reward, there were just a handful of sightings (pictured, one sighting)
Dozens of police cars remained at the scene of the deadly shooting on Te Anga Road on Tuesday as forensics and detectives scoured the vicinity.
Two police cars involved in the incident could be seen being examined by forensic teams, as Phillips’ quad bike laid in a ditch further up the road.
‘The camp area in Waitomo and the scene of the shooting remain active crime scenes, with forensic staff on site today to gather evidence,’ police said.
The fugitive father was skilled in wilderness survival. But as law enforcement increased patrols in the area, the police were increasingly sure he had help remaining concealed.
The case divided New Zealand and Phillips found supporters online and among residents of the settlement of Marokopa, population 40, where he had lived. Some locals told visiting reporters that they endorsed his actions.
‘I can tell you he is no hero,’ Chambers said Tuesday. ‘No one who does this to children, no one who unleashes high-powered rifles on my staff, is a hero, simple as that.’
December 2021 wasn’t the first time Phillips and his children had vanished. Three months earlier, he sparked a massive search operation when his truck was found on a beach near his home, with no trace of the family.
Officials feared they had been swept out to sea before Phillips and the children emerged from the forest after 17 days, saying they had been camping. Phillips was charged with wasting police resources but disappeared again with the children before he was due to appear in court.
Phillips didn’t have legal custody of his children at the time he vanished.
He was later wanted for an armed bank robbery in 2023, during which he was accompanied by one of his children and apparently shot at a member of the public as he fled.
He was spotted on CCTV footage in the area committing other break-ins to steal supplies, most recently in August.
Beyond those thefts, it wasn’t clear how the family had survived in rugged countryside at freezing winter temperatures for years.
