In the remote coastal settlement of Marokopa in New Zealand's Waikato region, the blooming pōhutukawa trees mark the holiday season and family gatherings. However, for one family, the red blossoms signal a painful anniversary: a third Christmas without three of their youngest members. Just before Christmas two years ago, Tom Phillips fled into the Waikato wilderness with his children Ember (7), Maverick (9), and Jayda (10) following a dispute with their mother.
Despite multiple sightings of Phillips, extensive searches, and appeals begging him to bring the children home, their whereabouts remain unknown. This is not the first time Phillips has gone bush with his children. In September 2021, they were reported missing, and his ute was found abandoned along the Marokopa shoreline, triggering a major search operation. Nineteen days later, Phillips and the children walked into his parents' farmhouse. He claimed he had taken them on an extended camping trip to clear his head and was charged with wasting police time.
Fewer than three months later, the four were reported missing again. When Phillips failed to appear for a January court date, a warrant was issued for his arrest. The case has fascinated New Zealanders, raising questions about how a man has managed to stay hidden with his three children for so long in a country where small communities are closely connected.
Marokopa, population 69, is two hours from the nearest city, Hamilton, and has become inextricably linked with Phillips's story. It is a quiet, isolated settlement with one long winding road in and out of the densely forested and hilly landscape. Longtime resident Trevor Neal, who knows the Phillips family well, says he has no idea what has become of them. 'It was the talk of the town when it first happened,' Neal said. 'A lot of people were worried about the kids.'
The vast Waikato region, where Phillips is presumed to be hiding, comprises long sweeping coastline, forested terrain, farmland, limestone cave networks, and small rural towns. John Robertson, mayor of the Waitomo district, noted that the remoteness of the landscape has frustrated police efforts. While the environment lends itself to concealment, its harshness makes survival a challenge, and Phillips's attempts to gather supplies seem increasingly desperate.
In May, Phillips was charged with aggravated robbery, wounding, and unlawful possession of a firearm after allegedly robbing a bank and shooting at a supermarket worker in Te Kuiti. In August, he was seen driving a stolen ute and sighted at hardware stores disguised in glasses and a face mask, paying cash for headlamps, batteries, seedlings, buckets, and gumboots. The owner of the stolen ute also reported winter clothing missing. In November, Phillips allegedly committed further offences, but police have not disclosed details.
