New Zealand launches major inquiry into case of father who hid his children in a forest for years
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand father disappears with his children been in the forest for several years before it was discovered and shot dead by police It prompted the government to launch a major investigation into how authorities handled the case.
The public inquiry, a formal and independent inquiry into matters of significant importance in New Zealand, will examine whether Tom Phillips’ children “took all practicable steps to protect the safety and welfare of government institutions”, the Attorney General said. judith collins he said on Thursday.
The announcement follows outrage in New Zealand after a father involved in court proceedings was allowed to evade authorities for years and his children were forced to live in harsh conditions in remote rural areas without access to healthcare or education.
Phillips disappeared in December 2021 with her three children, then aged 5, 7 and 8, in Marokopa, a small rural town on New Zealand’s North Island. The boys were found in a makeshift campsite in September this year, hours after their father was killed by police following a robbery. During the conflict, a police officer was shot in the head and seriously injured.
The investigation will be reviewed by authorities
The saga began long before the Phillips family became public in 2021. The children had been the subject of proceedings related to their care in the family court since 2018, according to a government document outlining the terms of the new investigation.
The period before the family’s disappearance will be examined by the investigation, which will decide whether the authorities did all they could to prevent the children from disappearing. The sight of Phillips committing robberies while hiding with the children constantly brought him closer to where he disappeared.
This has raised questions in New Zealand about the scale and seriousness of law enforcement’s search efforts during the three-and-a-half-year disappearance. The document establishing the investigation was clear that “the safety and well-being of the children was at risk, particularly given the time that had passed since their initial disappearance.”
The inquiry will be chaired by Simon Moore, a well-known barrister and former Supreme Court judge. By July 2026, Moore is expected to submit a final report that must rule on whether state agencies appropriately contacted the family court and took all practicable steps to find and rescue the children.
The family has disappeared before
The scrutiny of authorities’ actions came in part because Phillips had previously disappeared with her children.
Three months before the family disappeared in December 2021, Phillips launched a massive search and made national headlines when his truck was found on the beach with no sign of him or the children.
Authorities concluded the family had drowned after Phillips reappeared from the woods three weeks later, saying they were camping with the children. He would face charges in court for wasting police resources when he disappeared again.
This time he didn’t return.
Confidentiality continues in the department
An early morning gunfight in September brought a sort of end to the long ordeal. Phillips and one of her children were stopped by a police officer while fleeing a robbery at an agricultural supply store in Waitomo, a small town on New Zealand’s North Island.
The officer was shot at close range. He survived but would require a series of surgeries, officials said.
More officers arrived and Phillips was fatally shot. The child with him was detained and he later helped law enforcement find the campsite where the remaining children were waiting.
Officials said that weapons were among the items there. Photos released by law enforcement of the campsites the family used showed horrific and poorly maintained camps.
Authorities did not provide details about the children’s current whereabouts, citing privacy needs.
Judges’ orders since the children’s rescue have barred news organizations from publishing specific details of the case. Some national broadcasters are challenging the decisions in court.
The secrecy of what authorities know and their actions has led to increased calls for an investigation.
The case shook New Zealand too
Questions about the authorities’ actions sparked heated debate in New Zealand and made global news headlines as a documentary about the incident was in production and reporters gathered in the small town where the family lived.
News outlets have questioned why police calls for help locating the family began long after their disappearance, when Phillips was accused of armed robbery.
After that, authorities regularly called on people who knew the family’s whereabouts to come forward, including: I’m offering a big reward this was never collected.
Police believed Phillips was aided by others in the area, and efforts were ongoing to identify his possible accomplices.
