Despite sightings and an $80,000 reward, it wasn’t until September 2025 the manhunt came to an end when he opened fire with a high-powered rifle, critically injuring a constable before he was shot and killed.
One child was recovered immediately and the other two were found safe later that day in one of a number of bush hideouts.
Police investigating the disappearance of Tom Phillips and his children located what was believed to be one of the family’s primary campsites. Photo / Police
Documents released through the Official Information Act, marked “restricted” with security redactions, reveal police sought NZSAS support for its Special Tactics Group (STG) in 2024 and 2025 to help with the Phillips manhunt.
The STG is the police’s national counter-terrorism and armed-offender unit, while the NZSAS is a military special forces unit usually used for overseas counter-terror or combat operations and known for their covert tracking and reconnaissance capabilities.
The documents showed the NZSAS were cleared to operate in New Zealand under a legal provision in the Defence Act that allows the military to help civilian agencies domestically.
The documents showed the NZSAS team deployed without weapons on the first occasion they were sent into the bush in June 2024. By the second deployment in October 2024, and for the third in April 2025, they were authorised to carry weapons for self-defence while embedded with armed police teams.
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) briefing summarising the police request said Phillips was a “suspect” in a robbery at the Te Kūiti ANZ Bank where a shot was fired.
“A warrant has been issued for his arrest. It is believed he is hiding himself and the children in a remote location.
“Despite his ability to live rough, it is almost certain he has access to hard shelter and supplies.”
The quad bike used by Tom Phillips as a getaway vehicle in September 2025 before he engaged in a shootout with police, where he was fatally shot. Photo / Hayden Woodward
The briefing said: “Phillips is very familiar with the area and is considered to be well-versed moving and hiding in the nearby bush.”
It warned that police believed he was armed and had been “captured on CCTV carrying a rifle while moving around at night”.
“Police hold concerns about the children’s welfare,” the briefing said.
The first confirmed request for NZSAS assistance was made in late May 2024 by Inspector Gary Rakena, the STG’s northern tactical commander.
His email, forwarded by Freda Grace, manager of operations support at Police National Headquarters, asked the Defence Force for “direct discreet tracking and special reconnaissance support” to an upcoming STG operation in the Waikato West area.
The plan called for the NZSAS to be involved from June 10-13, 2024, to coincide with a police campaign in which cars were stopped and checked, aerial surveillance was carried out and an $80,000 reward offered.
On June 6, 2024, the Defence Force responded saying: “Yes, this is approved.”
The documents show the NZSAS soldiers would not be armed in the June deployments but police tactical teams would carry weapons and have medics and communications staff embedded.
The joint task aimed to identify possible observation posts and “test established tactical communications support” before covertly deploying to Marokopa.
The NZSAS is usually used for overseas counter-terror or combat operations, such as the troopers pictured here working through the British Council Office in Kabul in 2011 after insurgents attacked and took hostages. Photo / New Zealand Defence Force
It’s unclear whether any trace of Phillips was found but the documents show the NZSAS and STG maintained “24/7 coverage over the ensuing period” through to the evening of June 13.
Four months later, after pig hunters captured video of Phillips and the children near Marokopa on October 3, 2024, the police moved fast.
At 10.05pm that day, Grace again asked for NZSAS support “from tomorrow, October 4, 2024 … likely two days initially”.
The request was sent to a senior commander 27 minutes later, who forwarded it even higher saying: “NZ Police have requested NZSAS tracking support to assist with the location and arrest of Thomas Phillips and the safe recovery of his three children.
“A recent sighting of Mr Phillips has identified a start point and specialist tracking skills are required to conduct this task.
“The NZDF will provide tracking support only and will not take part in the arrest.”
And five minutes after that, the assistant chief of strategic commitments and engagements Brigadier Andrew Shaw emailed: “Approved. NZDF pers may forward-stage weapons. Carriage on task will be subject to further confirmation.”
An internal summary later recorded that “2 × 1 NZSAS trackers deployed with STG teams into the field in order to locate sign of the group who were sighted the day before”.
By April 2025, police had the use of a drone and sought again to bring in NZSAS support.
The next request came on April 9, 2025, seeking a liaison officer to sit alongside the STG command group during a “search phase” in Marokopa and a tracking team of two to four NZSAS operators who could deploy “if required within the same period”.
The plan involved unmanned aircraft system (UAS) flights scanning a 50sq km area of bush and farmland by night.
“The ground is considered challenging and consists of undulating terrain, thick native bush, and extensive farmland,” the briefing said.
The briefing said if the drone found Phillips, then it would follow as the STG moved in. In the event the drone lost sight of the fugitive and his children, the STG would then rely on NZSAS trackers “to locate their direction of travel/location/camp as the case may be”.
This time, the “risk” section of the briefing said: “Authorities are sought for any NZSAS to be armed for self-defence purposes and in line with the postures that STG teams would have in the field.”
Approval came on April 11, 2025, with the documents showing a team of up to four NZSAS operators was sent to help with the search from April 24-27. The later date came after police sought to extend the support, citing “the way information and opportunities are presenting”.
The three operations followed the same pathway approval from the Police National Headquarters security and international section to the strategic commitments and engagements branch at Defence.
The documents carried the following test: “Should we? Yes. Can we? Yes. Will we? I recommend you approve this request.”
In each phase the NZSAS operated under police operational command with explicit instructions to avoid direct engagement.
They also show police and NZSAS cut out the commanders once they were on the ground with approval for “DIRLAUTH” – direct liaison authority – allowing those involved to “facilitate detailed planning and execution”.
The Defence Act allows the military to help civil authorities in emergencies or “public interest” situations. But deployments of the NZSAS on domestic policing tasks happen only rarely and are highly sensitive.
David Fisher is based in Northland and has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years, winning multiple journalism awards including being twice named Reporter of the Year and being selected as one of a small number of Wolfson Press Fellows to Wolfson College, Cambridge. He joined the Herald in 2004.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.