Tom Phillips kept his children hidden in bush camps. Police just shared photos of them.

It's the kind of tale you can't quite make up.

New Zealand father Tom Phillips went missing with his three children, following a split and estrangement from his wife.

They were lost in the bush for 19 days — with police launching a large-scale land and air search — only for them to show up again, claiming they went 'off grid'.

Three months later, in December 2021, the father and his three children went missing again, but this time they did not return.

Almost four years after he disappeared from society, fugitive father Tom Phillips was shot dead by police.

Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers told a media conference that the force received word of a burglary at a rural farm store in the area where Phillips was believed to be — in Waikato, south of Auckland.

Police laid road spikes around the location to stop the vehicle he was travelling in, alongside just one of his children.

What followed was a violent shootout, with the first officer on the scene "confronted by gunfire at close range" and shot in the head and shoulder. He is in hospital in a serious condition.

After the first officer was shot, a second responded, shooting Phillips, who died despite medical attention.

Police said a child was taken into custody at the scene.

Listen to The Quicky discuss the disappearance of the Phillips family. Post continues below.

Later on Monday, police confirmed that the remaining two missing children had been found by themselves in a camp about 2km away from where Phillips was shot, it was reported.

"I can tell you with great relief this evening that soon after 4:30pm today, we've located Tom Phillips' remaining children," Rogers said.

Rogers said the children were safe and would be taken for a medical check.

Police later released photos of the campsite where Phillips and his children were hiding out before the shootout. The images show tyres, cans, bottles and an ATV in heavy bushland.

Acting on information from one of the children, police were able to track down the makeshift camp, which remains an active crime scene.

Several firearms were located in the area, police said.

Police shared photos of the makeshift bush campsite. Image: NZ Police.

The area is still an active crime scene. Image: NZ Police.

On Tuesday September 9, Rogers confirmed the children were now in the care of Oranga Tamariki, New Zealand's ministry for children.

The same day, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told 1News the officer that was shot is alive. He was able to speak to family and colleagues a little, but he has a long road to recovery. He said there's no doubt that Phillips intended to kill the officer, who had been in the force for three years.

"He is a dedicated and caring constable and represents the best of what it means to be a rural police officer," he said. "I'm proud of him, and the officers who arrived on the scene seconds later and dealt with the threat."

But how did this story end in such tragedy? Here's what we know.

The first disappearance.

On a gloomy day in 2021, at Kiritehere Beach on New Zealand's North Island, two men came across a bizarre sight: an abandoned Toyota truck was parked on the sand, facing the ocean above the high-tide line, as the ominous weather loomed and violent seas swirled.

In the rear of the truck sat a row of child seats, the passengers nowhere to be seen.

News spread quickly, as it does so often in close-knit communities, and it was soon realised that the car belonged to local man Tom Phillips. He lived not too far away, in Ōtorohanga, with his three children, Jayda, eight, Maverick, six, and Ember, five.

It had been a difficult few years for the family, with Tom splitting from his wife three years earlier and the pair subsequently estranged.

Tom's brother caught wind of the empty car on the beach and headed down to see for himself, calling police after inspecting the site. Headlines and news bulletins came through thick and fast, and an official hunt began for the father and his children.

Everyone feared the worst.

A full-scale search was launched and no resource was spared in the hunt for Tom and his children — and while a tragedy seemed the most likely outcome, the community hoped for a miracle.

Police combed land and sea, local community members kept search parties fed, and unofficial swimmers went diving through local waters hoping to uncover the slightest glimmer of hope.

Helicopters buzzed overhead and bushland was scoured for 12 days straight before the search was finally called off. Everyone assumed the worst; the outcome nobody wanted seemed all but cemented.

Tom Phillips and his children gone forever.

And then, they returned.

Nineteen days after they were first reported missing, Tom and his three children showed up at his parents' sprawling property, just outside nearby Marokopa. Apparently the family had been sleeping in a tent, on an extended camping trip.

While their return should've been a moment that spread joy through the community, it was met with mixed feelings.

Police were initially buoyed by the sudden appearance after an extensive search. "It is extraordinary," said Waikato West Area Commander Will Loughrin. "It is the scene that we hoped. We wanted Tom and the family to be alive."

But Tom's attitude after the family's return put some people on edge.

The case that had rocked the community, with many risking their lives and livelihoods to find this family, and Tom had something of a blasé response to the large-scale search operation. Public sentiment turned to contempt, for some, and Tom was eventually charged with wasting police time and resources.

The official charges said he had "behaved in a manner that was likely to give rise to serious apprehension for the safety of himself, Jayda Phillips, Ember Phillips and Maverick Phillips, knowing that such apprehension would be groundless".

After running the full gamut of emotions, everyone was ready to move on and forget what had happened.

That is, until the family went missing again.

The second disappearance.

Around three months after the initial disappearance, in December 2021, Tom and his children vanished again. However, this time things were a little less dramatic with authorities saying Tom had let family members know he was going bush.

"He notified family of where he was going," police said in response to bewilderment from the community. "In terms of current court restrictions of what he can and can’t do, he's doing nothing wrong."

After his first disappearance caused such a stir, it seemed as though this time around, everyone was content to let this man and his kids live a reclusive existence.

But when it came time for his scheduled court date in January 2022 to address the charges for wasting police time, Tom was a no-show. His lawyer asked the judge to be removed from the case, and an official arrest warrant was issued for his capture.

Tom Phillips had not only vanished again with his children, but was also now evading the law — and all signs pointed to him never coming back.

A mysterious bank robbery and a life hidden.

Differing opinions of Tom's behaviour ran wild in the local community.

Some felt that he was a wildling and wasn't interested in conforming to being a community-involved parent — he loved the outdoors and he was showing his kids the world.

Others still felt disgruntled over his blasé attitude towards vanishing, with little apparent regard for how this might affect others.

But almost two years after disappearing a second time, things took a strange turn.

In May 2023, a pair of masked robbers held up a bank in Te Kūiti — a town not far from where Tom had lived in Ōtorohanga before his second disappearance. Brandishing guns, they stole money from the tellers.

Four months later, police placed Tom as the prime suspect in the robbery, charging him with aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

CCTV of the alleged bank robbers. Image: NZ Police.

In the months that followed, it's alleged that Tom stole a Toyota ute and a quad bike, and was suspected of stealing from farms across the country.

He wasn't just foraging the land and sleeping under the stars — the father of three was allegedly committing serious crimes and bringing his children along for the ride.

The children's mother set up a missing persons page and released a statement via police, voicing her concerns:

"People will understand our wider family situation is complex, but putting that aside, our focus is solely on the children and putting their wellbeing first," she wrote.

"We are beside ourselves with worry and need more than anything to know the kids are well."

In June 2024, police offered an $80,000 reward for any information on the 'Marokopa children', as they came to be called.

A few months later, in October, the family were allegedly spotted by pig hunters in the area. They took a picture of them wearing wet-weather gear and carrying backpacks.

It was the first believed sighting of them together — a buoy to their mother who hadn't seen her children in years.

A search was undertaken but produced nothing of significance.

Phillips' family gave their first interview in August 2025, with his mum writing a letter asking him to bring the kids home.

A few days later, CCTV footage emerged showing what police believe to be Phillips and one of his children breaking into a convenience store, the Piopio Superette, for groceries.

The search ends in tragedy.

After years of searching for the Phillips family, it all came to a head in September 2025.

A burglary was attempted at agricultural store PGG Wrightsons in Piopio. A quadbike was used and the suspect was accompanied by a child.

Public reports to police led them to deploy officers to the area, using road spikes to stop their escape path.

They were stopped by Te Anga Rd, and a shootout occurred, leaving Phillips dead and an officer severely injured.

A child was taken into custody at the scene.

Later on Monday, police confirmed that the remaining two missing children had been found.

In a later statement, police said the children had a "long journey of recovery" ahead of them.

"Our staff described the children as being engaged and they readily spoke with our staff, who provided them with snacks and drinks while they waited to be brought out of the campsite," Rogers said.

"While they are now in the care of Oranga Tamariki, we will continue to work closely with the children, taking the time and sensitivity that is needed after the ordeal they have been through."

The children's mother, Cat, has spoken about the "wave of complex emotions" Phillips' death has brought on.

"First and foremost, we are deeply relieved that for our tamariki this ordeal has come to an end," Cat told RNZ, referring to the Māori word for "children".

"[The children] have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care.

"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."

Cat said the family extended their gratitude to members of the community who have supported them over the years.

"Your compassion has sustained us," she said.

"As a whānau [Māori word for an extended family], we are now attempting to work in cooperation with the relevant government agencies to support the safe return and reconnection of our tamariki.

"They have endured a long and difficult journey, and we ask for privacy as we help them adjust and reintegrate into a stable and loving environment."

Police said Phillips' body was removed from the scene late on Monday and will undergo a postmortem examination on Wednesday, before it is released to his family.

Several areas in Western Waikato remain active crime scenes as police continue to investigate the shooting.

Three firearms, including the gun used by Phillips, have been recovered from the shooting scene.

"Investigation staff are going over the areas where the family had been staying, and have been speaking with farmers, locals, and workers in the area," Rogers said.

"That work is to help us build an accurate picture of the movements of Tom Phillips and the children."

Feature Image: NZ Police.