Government Announces Public Inquiry into Tom Phillips Case Amid Fears Over Children's Welfare
New Zealand is set to hold a public inquiry into the disappearance of fugitive father Tom Phillips and his three children, who went on the run for nearly four years before Phillips was killed in an exchange of fire with police.
The decision to establish the inquiry comes amid significant public interest in the case and concerns over the welfare of the children. Attorney General Judith Collins said the inquiry would examine whether government agencies took all practicable steps to protect the safety and welfare of the children, adding that it's essential to determine whether agencies could have taken steps to prevent or resolve similar situations more quickly and effectively in the future.
The terms of reference for the inquiry highlight the "exceptional, if not unique" facts of the case, which will be investigated by Justice Simon Moore KC. The private inquiry will focus on the government agencies' engagement with Phillips before and after he disappeared. A report is due back in July 2026.
Phillips, who did not have legal custody of his children, vanished into the North Island wilderness with them shortly before Christmas in 2021 following a dispute with their mother. He was later killed in an exchange of fire with police after reports of a burglary in the remote town of Piopio. Two of Phillips' children were found at a campsite in Waitomo, while it's believed the third child was with him when he was shot.
The children are currently in the custody of Oranga Tamariki, New Zealand's child protection agency. The vast Waikato region where Phillips hid proved to be a challenging terrain for police, who were left frustrated by their inability to find him despite multiple searches and offers of rewards. Police now believe that Phillips received outside help, with inquiries into identifying those who aided him underway.
The inquiry will provide much-needed clarity on the events surrounding the disappearance and tragic death of Tom Phillips, as well as ensuring that steps are taken to prevent similar situations from arising in the future.
New Zealand is set to hold a public inquiry into the disappearance of fugitive father Tom Phillips and his three children, who went on the run for nearly four years before Phillips was killed in an exchange of fire with police.
The decision to establish the inquiry comes amid significant public interest in the case and concerns over the welfare of the children. Attorney General Judith Collins said the inquiry would examine whether government agencies took all practicable steps to protect the safety and welfare of the children, adding that it's essential to determine whether agencies could have taken steps to prevent or resolve similar situations more quickly and effectively in the future.
The terms of reference for the inquiry highlight the "exceptional, if not unique" facts of the case, which will be investigated by Justice Simon Moore KC. The private inquiry will focus on the government agencies' engagement with Phillips before and after he disappeared. A report is due back in July 2026.
Phillips, who did not have legal custody of his children, vanished into the North Island wilderness with them shortly before Christmas in 2021 following a dispute with their mother. He was later killed in an exchange of fire with police after reports of a burglary in the remote town of Piopio. Two of Phillips' children were found at a campsite in Waitomo, while it's believed the third child was with him when he was shot.
The children are currently in the custody of Oranga Tamariki, New Zealand's child protection agency. The vast Waikato region where Phillips hid proved to be a challenging terrain for police, who were left frustrated by their inability to find him despite multiple searches and offers of rewards. Police now believe that Phillips received outside help, with inquiries into identifying those who aided him underway.
The inquiry will provide much-needed clarity on the events surrounding the disappearance and tragic death of Tom Phillips, as well as ensuring that steps are taken to prevent similar situations from arising in the future.
gotta say, this whole thing is just wild 
. like, how do you even prepare for a situation where someone takes their kids on the run without telling anyone? 
and then they get killed by the cops... it's just too much 
. i feel bad for those poor kids who are still trying to process everything that happened to them 
. but at the same time, you gotta wonder how many people were involved in helping phillips escape 
. there's gotta be someone out there who knew more than they let on 
. i guess we'll have to wait and see what this public inquiry uncovers 
. can't help but feel that justice will finally be served for tom phillips and his kids 
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they're still living with Oranga Tamariki right now... I just hope this public inquiry can give us some answers and help figure out what went wrong during that time 
. But at the same time, I get why the government wants to know if they could've done more to prevent this from happening in the future... it's just a sad situation all around 
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... seriously though, its good that theyre taking responsibility for the kids and trying to learn from this mess... but we need more than just an inquiry, were talking about real systemic changes here 
... what's gonna come out of it? Will they actually do some soul searching or will it just be a bunch of bureaucratic nonsense 
, it's gotta be a huge relief for all the families involved, especially those who've been searching for answers for so long 
. But I'm still a bit skeptical about how this will all play out - it's gonna be a tough investigation to get to the bottom of what really happened, especially with all the complexity around Phillips' disappearance and the help he allegedly received 
This case is a nightmare for parents everywhere, I feel so bad for those 3 kids 
. I mean, why bother with any actual investigation or process when we can just have a big ol' shouting match? And let's be real, we'll probably end up just rehashing the same old facts and figures anyway... what's a few months of delay gonna hurt, right? 
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last weekend... he turned 8 and we had a huge bash with his friends! The cake was literally massive and it took us hours to decorate it. I swear, kids have no idea how much time goes into planning these things. Anyway, back to the Phillips case... what's really crazy is that they're looking for people who might've helped Tom Phillips escape. Can you imagine being part of a police investigation? So many variables to consider... did he get help from someone on the inside or was it an outside aid?