For more than three years, the case of Tom Phillips has gripped New Zealand. The 37-year-old father vanished into the dense Waikato wilderness just before Christmas 2021, taking his three children Jayda, now 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9 without legal custody.
Now, in one of their first public statements, his family is calling on him to return home. His sister, Rozzi Phillips, telling reporter Paddy Gower, has attempted numerous times to contact him by phone and email but heard nothing back. "I miss you. I miss being part of your life and I really want to see you and the kids," Rozzi stated, tearfully.
Her heartfelt message, she hopes, will persuade her brother that it is not yet too late to return. "Perhaps he is going to read this … and perhaps it is going to be alright," she said.
Their mother also wrote a poignant letter that Rozzi read during the interview, imploring her son and grandchildren: "Each day I hope today will be the day you return home."
Although Phillips' activities have been questioned legally and ethically, his family painted him as a fugitive no more. Rozzi remembered a younger brother with a keen wit, good survival instincts, and strong roots in the earth. He was able to construct, hunt, and survive on the wilderness skills that have enabled him to stay hidden for so many years.
Phillips was brought up in Marokopa, a small coastal village of fewer than 100 people. Once a forgotten spot on the map, the town is now identified with his vanishing. The remoteness of its farmland, woods, limestone caverns, and broad coastline has stumped police for decades.
Officially, authorities believe Phillips steers clear of social media, mainstream banking, and city living, instead using seedlings, camping gear, and the bush itself to support him and his kids.
This is not the first time that Phillips has gone missing. In September 2021, he went missing for 19 days with his children, launching a huge search effort before turning up at his parents' farm. He later said that it had been a camping trip to get away and clear his head. He was charged with wasting police time but was released.
Only three months after that, he escaped again this time for good. There have been few sightings and brief glimpses in the past three years. He was at least spotted with a child in May 2023 with an alleged bank robbery in Te Kuiti, and later in the year, he allegedly tried to rob a supermarket. Police suspect Phillips was responsible for both.
An $80,000 reward in June 2023 attracted tips, but the lead soon went cold. The most promising sighting was made in October 2024 when teen pig hunters took phone video of a man and three children walking across fields near Marokopa. Despite a swift search, police couldn't find them.
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Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Saunders indicated police remain receptive to discussion. "Let's get everyone out of there safely," he implored. "It's been long enough now. It's time for the children to get on with their lives, and Tom can work through whatever he needs to work through.
For Rozzi and her mom, waiting is torture. They assert their appeal is one of reunion, not punishment. "No day goes by that I don't think about all four of them," Rozzi said.
