What we know about the suspected break-in by Marokopa fugitive Tom Phillips

Fears remain for the welfare of fugitive Marokopa father Tom Phillips' children, police say, after a new sighting showing a man and a child breaking into a Piopio store.

Detective Senior Sergeant Andy Saunders spoke to media in Hamilton on Friday morning, after police released CCTV showing an alleged burglary on Wednesday.

In the video, two people, one appearing to be a child, with their faces covered can be seen, along with sparks from the building as they try to break in.

Phillips and his children Jayda, Maverick, and Ember, have been missing since their father took them from Marokopa, a rural and isolated town, to an unknown location in December 2021.

Phillips was facing a raft of charges, including aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Saunders said it was possible the break-in for groceries could be a sign Phillips was no longer getting the help he had been.

"Does it mean he's potentially had a falling out with who's helping him? Or is he just that brazen and confident that he's quite happy to come out at night and commit a burglary?"

The owner of the Piopio Superette told RNZ the only thing taken during the break-in was milk, despite butter and vegetables both being on display.

He said the two people used an angle grinder to cut the padlock on his chiller out the back of his store.

When the pair got into the chiller it set off the alarm, he said, and they quickly grabbed some milk before leaving on a quad bike.

Saunders asked anyone who had been travelling in the area between Piopio and Marokopa on Wednesday to report sightings of a quad bike on the road.

He said the main focus remained on the children and police did have concerns about the risk Phillips could pose when approached and would not bring in the SAS at this stage as a result.

"We're not going to get into a confrontation situation," he said.

"Our concern is that Tom will pose a risk to anyone that tries to stop the way he's living his lifestyle with his children.

Saunders could not say which of the three children was seen in the footage or what items were taken from the store apart from them being "grocery items".

"We've got to see what it means that he's come all the way out to Piopio to get grocery items.

"Those people that are helping him will know where he is and we want them to sit down with us and help get those children out safely."

It looked as though some sort of grinder had been used to get into the shop, Saunders said, and it was possible it had been stolen.

"He certainly appears very comfortable to just come all the way to Piopio to commit a burglary. We've always considered Tom is committing offences to help support his lifestyle.

"We're getting a lot of reported burglaries that may or may not be him, but it's likely he's stolen the item [grinder]."

Marokopa remained an area of interest, he said, and police believed there could be multiple areas where he and the children were staying.

"My message to Tom and those people helping them - let's get those children out safely.

"Everyone would like this to be over [Thursday], but the focus is getting the children out safely and we're not going to put anyone in harms way to do that."

Previous sightings

In November 2023, police named Phillips as the main suspect of an attempted robbery at the same Piopio store.

Footage was released showing him and a child using a stolen quad bike to smash a window of the shop but an alarm sounded and the pair fled on the quad bike.

The pair were wearing camouflage gear and their faces weren't visible due to what appeared to be bandanas covering them. Both were wearing head lamps.

Before this, police also alleged Phillips had committed a bank robbery in May 2023.

Earlier that year there had been a suspected sighting of Phillips in Bunnings, Te Rapa. The man was wearing a beanie and face mask.

The last credible sighting before Friday, was in October 2024 when a group of hunters in the bush near Marokopa saw Phillips and all three children in bush area west of Coutts Rd.

In June 2024, police announced an $80,000 reward, along with potential immunity from prosecution for anyone who may have previously assisted Phillips, who now provided information that led to the safe return of the children.

It expired with no sign of Phillips or the children.

Phillips first disappeared with the children in September 2021 and there had intially been fears the family had been swept out to sea when his car was found on a beach.

But by the end of the month, they reappeared.

Jayda, Maverick and Ember were 8, 7 and 5 at the time they disappeared with their dad. They would now be 12, 10 and 9.

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