New CCTV footage believed to show New Zealand fugitive Tom Phillips and one of his children allegedly breaking into and stealing from a convenience store has been released by police.
Detective senior sergeant Andy Saunders told media on Friday that investigators believe the pair in the video are Phillips and one of his three children, who vanished almost four years ago. It is the first confirmed sighting of Phillips in a year.
The footage, captured in the early hours of Wednesday at Piopio Superette, a small store in the North Island, shows a masked man and child examining windows before sparks fly as they appear to cut their way in with a power tool. They then load groceries on to a quad bike and drive away.
Saunders said the pair spent 13 minutes at the scene.
“We believe the pair in this footage are Tom and one of his children,” he said. “We’re appealing for information from anyone who might have seen the quad bike travelling or parked between Piopio and Marokopa in the early hours of Wednesday morning.”
Police said Phillips and one of his children are believed to have unsuccessfully targeted the store in November 2023.
Phillips disappeared with his children – now aged 12, 10 and nine – from their Marokopa family farm in December 2021.
He does not have legal custody of the children, and police believe the family has been living in the Waikato’s King Country bush and allege he has been receiving outside help with supplies and to evade discovery.
In May 2023, police linked Phillips to a robbery at an ANZ bank in Te Kūiti, where two armed people demanded cash before fleeing on a motorbike.
A warrant was later issued for his arrest. He faces a string of charges, including aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding and unlawful possession of a firearm.
The most recent sighting before this week was in October 2024, when pig hunters filmed a man followed by three children in camouflage clothing carrying large backpacks in remote Marokopa farmland. That prompted a large land and air search, which was called off after three days.
Phillips’ family have repeatedly urged him to come forward.
His sister made a new appeal earlier this month, reiterating the family was still willing to help him, after attempts to contact him were met with silence. The children’s mother previously told the New Zealand Herald she was “relieved” to learn they were still alive in 2024.
Police said their focus remained the children’s welfare.
“At the heart of this are three children who have been away from their home for four years,” Saunders said.
An $80,000 reward for information on the family’s whereabouts was announced in June 2024 but has since expired.
