New CCTV footage shows fugitive father Tom Phillips and one of his children in burglary
Friday, 29 August 2025
Police investigating fugitive Tom Phillips say welfare concerns for the children missing with him are guiding how they are responding in the case.
Detective Senior Sergeant Andy Saunders told media at a briefing that they did not want to “get into a confrontation situation” with Phillips.
The comment came after police early Friday released CCTV footage of two people, believed to be Phillips and one of the children, in a 2am burglary in Piopio on Wednesday.
In the footage, a superette is broken into with power tools, and the two people dressed to obscure their identities with masks can be seen speeding off on a quad bike.
In response to questions about the latest incident suspected to involve the fugitive from Marokopa who has been missing with his three children since 2021, Saunders was asked if Phillips “posed a risk to his children?”
“That’s a concern of ours, certainly,” he responded.
The question came after Saunders had discussed some of the challenges for the operation.
“If you go back and look at the current charges he’s facing, that was a serious violent offence committed with firearms, where a member of the public attempted to tackle him and was shot at,” Saunders said.
“So our concern is that Tom will pose a risk to anyone that tries to stop him, the way he’s living his lifestyle with his children.”
‘They grabbed the milk’
The manager of the store allegedly hit by Phillips on Wednesday has revealed more detail of what happened.
The Piopio Superette store manager, who did not want to be named, told Stuff that the pair came in around the back of his building through a small section of wooden fence between buildings.
They got the padlock off his chiller and opened the door, only for the alarm to go off, he said. He said they grabbed some milk out the front and shut the door once the siren sounded.
“Whatever was in the front they were able to take.”
The man said he wasn’t frustrated by the situation, because they didn’t take much.
He also said he wasn’t sure it was definitely Phillips, so couldn’t comment on that aspect.
A woman who lives nearby said the theft was “sad for the dairy owners but hopefully they got what they needed”.
What does this sighting mean?
Meanwhile, police are considering what the latest possible sighting might mean for Phillips, and his three children, missing since 2021.
“We're considering what this means, and we're looking at, does it mean he's potentially had a falling out with who's helping him?” Saunders said on Friday.
“Or is he just that brazen and confident that he's quite happy to come out at night?”
The video shows two masked people outside the superette examining the windows and the security camera before sparks fly as they appear to cut into the premises.
“We believe the pair in this footage are Tom and one of his children. They were in the area for 13 minutes, having travelled in and out on a quad bike. The pair can be seen loading items into containers on the quad bike before returning in the direction they had come from,” Saunders said in an earlier statement.
Speaking at the press conference, Saunders confirmed grocery items were taken.
Police: Our focus is to bring out those children safely
“Our focus is actually the children, always has been,' Saunders said.
“This will take as long as it takes - our focus is to bring out those children safely.”
“We’re appealing for information from anyone who might have seen the quad bike travelling or parked between Piopio and Marokopa in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
“In this latest burglary, the offenders have left with a number of general grocery items.”
Phillips already faces a range of charges including aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
“At the heart of this are three children who have been away from their home for four years. Their well-being is our main focus.”
In November 2023, police named Phillips as the prime suspect of an attempted robbery of the same shop.
It is believed one of his children was also with him during that incident, which also occurred around 2am.
A stolen quad bike was used to smash the shop’s glass window, however an alarm prompted the pair to flee south on the quad bike.
“We've always considered that Tom is committing offences to help support his lifestyle, other than the ones we've obviously shared with you,” Saunders said on Friday, answering a question about the tools used in the latest incident.
“We get a lot of reports of burglaries that may or may not be attributed to him, but it's likely that he may well have stolen those.”
Still on the run, but caught on camera
Tom Phillips first went bush with his three children - Jayda, Maverick and Ember - in September 2021.
Police scoured the rugged coastline around Marokopa for him, but he turned up two weeks later.
Phillips and the children went back on the run in December 2021 but he has not remained hidden the entire time.
In May 2023, two armed people entered an ANZ bank in Te Kūiti.
The pair demanded cash before fleeing on a black, farm-style motorbike, dropping money as they made their escape.
In September, police issued an arrest warrant for Phillips after linking him to the robbery.
He was charged with with aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
A witness said the second offender had a girl’s figure, however police have been unable to confirm their identity.
Then came a suspected trip to Bunnings in Te Rapa in August 2023, where the children’s mother, Cat, said she recognised her ex-husband through his disguise.
Cat believed Phillips recognised her, prompting him to drive off. She gave chase in her own vehicle, but lost him.
Then in November that year came the suspected attempted robbery in Piopio, the same spot Phillips is believe to have returned to on Wednesday.
There was a credible sighting in October 2024 of the group in the bush near Marokopa - the first time all four of the group were seen together.
The sighting saw police pour back into the area and gave the children’s mother relief after years without seeing her children.
“I just broke down - they’re alive!” she told told Stuff.
“There’s three of them there and they’re walking under their own steam, obviously carrying everything on their backs. This is the first time [I’ve seen them] in nearly three years.”
But despite air support from the Police Eagle helicopter and a Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopter, the group disappeared again - until Wednesday.
‘Tom - I feel really sad that you thought you had to do this’
The family of Marokopa fugitive Tom Phillips spoke out for the first time earlier this month, with his sister Rozzi telling Paddy Gower the family wanted him to come home and were ready to help.
She also read out a letter from their mother Julia in the exclusive interview.
“Tom - I feel really sad that you thought you had to do this,” Julia Phillips wrote.
“Not considering how much we love you and can support you. It hurts every time I see photos of the children and of you and see some of your stuff that is still here. Thinking what could have been if you had not gone away.
“Jayda, Maverick, Ember - I love you so much and really miss being part of your lives.
“Everyday I wake up and hope that today will be the day that you will come home.”
The latest sighting of Philips happened not long after the story went out.
‘Bring the children home’
Stuff broke the news of the latest sighting to Waitomo District Mayor John Robertson, who said on Friday morning that he was surprised the local rumour mill hadn’t alerted him to the robbery.
He said Tom Phillips needs to “bring the children home and find a way through it.”
“The message from me is always please come home Tom. This is best to finish sooner than later, for the sake of the children.”
Robertson told Stuff he contacted Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad earlier this year and asked if she might be able to facilitate a negotiated ending to the nearly four-year saga.
“We all know why he's out there hiding, and we all know his passion for his children,” Robertson said.
“The police response for 3 years hasn't brought a successful conclusion to it. I've started to believe that the only way really was from someone with standing, with mana who could help intervene and somehow negotiate an outcome.
“To me that's the best outcome would be for Tom to come out because there's been a negotiated outcome.”