{"id":554503,"date":"2026-08-01T10:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T10:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/554503\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T10:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T10:10:13","slug":"he-was-a-dictator-mother-of-marokopa-children-speaks-out-about-her-relationship-with-tom-phillips-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/554503\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He was a dictator\u2019: Mother of Marokopa children speaks out about her relationship with Tom Phillips"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018There was no room for compromise\u2019<\/p>\n

As she still deals with agency meetings and the fallout from the dramatic end to Phillips\u2019 time on the run, Christey has spoken out about the difficulties of her relationship with him and the toll it has taken.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a good provider but very controlling. It was a very … imbalanced relationship. His views on what a marriage should be were different to my own. We should have been a team. But there was no room for compromise, it was his way or the highway.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he liked to be in control, he was a dictator.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phillips first took the couple\u2019s three children into the bush near Marokopa in the western Waikato in September 2021 without telling Christey where he was going. They were separated at the time.<\/p>\n

He returned several weeks later, but then, in December 2021, he went bush with the children again.<\/p>\n

\"ForFor most people, the Tom Phillips case began when he first disappeared with his children into the bush in 2021 and ended when he was shot dead by police last year \u2013 not for Cat Christey. Photo \/ Mata Reports, RNZ<\/p>\n

Phillips remained a fugitive until he was killed in a shoot-out with police following a ram raid in Piopio.<\/p>\n

Christey says that during their relationship, Phillips \u201cwasn\u2019t extremely violent\u201d although she described slaps and how he once strangled her.<\/p>\n

But she was more concerned about his psychological abuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would control all the finances, he would take vehicle keys away from me \u2026 he would control who I saw and when I saw them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CatCat Christey describes a volatile and sometimes violent relationship. Photo \/ Mata Reports, RNZ<\/p>\n

A fascination with guns<\/p>\n

She says Phillips had a fascination with guns and that at one point, she twice rang 111 to tell the police about it.<\/p>\n

However, she says, Phillips took the phone off her and hung up both times.<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly believed police would show up because it was a 111 call \u2026 but police did not come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phillips ordered her out of the house after she called the police. <\/p>\n

Although he later begged her to come back, Christey says she wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

A few days later, he began proceedings against her and the situation spiralled over the next few years.<\/p>\n

\"CatCat Christey says Tom Phillips had a fascination with guns. Photo \/ Mata Reports, RNZ<\/p>\n

Christey found out about the shooting and the discovery of her children after police told a Netflix documentary crew \u2013 a documentary she says she told the officer in charge, Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders, that she objected to.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was dead set against it when they first told me. It was very blunt and I said they do not have my permission.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Saunders] told me they didn\u2019t need my permission, that they were just letting me know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CatCat Christey says she objected to a Netflix documentary about her children’s case. Photo \/ Mata Reports, RNZ<\/p>\n

Not a victim<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one way in which she says she feels like she has been disregarded by police throughout the case.<\/p>\n

For instance she says that she only found out through the media that police had decided not to charge anyone with assisting Phillips while he was on the run and that the case was no longer being actively investigated.<\/p>\n

Also, she says, she was declined support for counselling because she was not considered a victim of crime.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had reached out to Victim Support \u2026 in the hopes that they might be able to assist with some sessions with my psychologist.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CatCat Christey feels like she has been disregarded by police throughout the case. Photo \/ Mata Reports, RNZ<\/p>\n

Cat says Victim Support spoke to the police about her situation but was told nothing could be done.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolice refused to do a referral stating that we\u2019re not victims of crime.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was because what had happened to her was not considered domestic violence, a point disputed by Auckland University associate professor of law Carrie Leonetti.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis abduction, I think, was an act of child abuse, but it was also an act of domestic violence against these children\u2019s mother,\u201d Leonetti says.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking children and saying, \u2018You will not see them for three years, they will live or die depending on what I decide\u2019 is an act of domestic violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even Police Minister Mark Mitchell, who would not comment specifically about police actions, said he believed Christey was a victim.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny right-minded person would say that a mother, regardless of the circumstances, when they\u2019re separated from their children, and they\u2019ve been through the tragedy that we all saw unfold in front of the country, a lot of people would probably consider her as much a victim in terms of what has happened,\u201d Mitchell told Mata.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I cannot talk to the police response other than saying, in my experience, police are very, very good at making sure they identify, communicate and support [victims] as much as they can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agencies respond<\/p>\n

In response to questions from Mata Reports about Christey\u2019s treatment and allegations, Detective Inspector Ross McKay said: \u201cA number of the matters you are asking about are subject to the government inquiry into the disappearance of the Phillips children, and it would therefore be inappropriate for us to comment at this time\u201d.<\/p>\n

Manaaki T\u0101ngata Victim Support said the organisation could not comment on individual cases, but added: \u201cThe Victims Assistance Scheme, which Victim Support administers on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, has specific eligibility criteria\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur support workers carefully consider each person\u2019s circumstances and identify the support available to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

A public inquiry into the disappearance of Phillips and his children has been delivered to Attorney-General Chris Bishop.<\/p>\n

The inquiry, led by Simon Moore, KC, was set up under the orders of the previous Attorney-General, Judith Collins, and tasked with considering whether government agencies took all practicable steps to protect the welfare and safety of the children.<\/p>\n

Bishop says the report will be presented to Parliament once the Government has considered the recommendations and how to deal with suppression orders that are in place in the High Court and Family Court.<\/p>\n

Made with the help of Te M\u0101ngai P\u0101ho and NZ on Air.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u2018There was no room for compromise\u2019 As she still deals with agency meetings and the fallout from the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":554504,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1443,33214,1061,270975,16049,692,1364,272284,14606,23998,272283,6178,111,43,139,69,1118,3111,10936,520,766,17213,5134,6736,102],"class_list":["post-554503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-about","tag-annabelle","tag-children","tag-dictator","tag-forbes","tag-he","tag-her","tag-leemather","tag-marokopa","tag-mata","tag-mihingarangi","tag-mother","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-of","tag-out","tag-phillips","tag-relationship","tag-reports","tag-speaks","tag-tom","tag-was","tag-with"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=554503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/554504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}