A Herald reporter in the town saw two helicopters overhead today, one being the police Eagle helicopter and the other - which approached from behind hills north of Marokopa - an NH90 airforce helicopter or similar.
Both helicopters focused their search on an area reported to belong to the local iwi.
A whitebaiter on the Marokopa River, Eva Kawhena told the Herald her son had gone to school with Tom Phillips and she knew his parents as good people.
“Phillips, they’re a nice family.” She said their parents and grandparents all grew up together in the Marokopa area.
She had seen numerous police cars drive past and helicopters flying in the hills north of her whitebait stand today.
She told the Herald she was surprised they were searching there because it was Māori land. ”He [Phillips] won’t be over there. He won’t be on that side. He knows not to go there” she said.
Police refused to confirm or deny whether the Eagle helicopter was in the area, saying “We don’t have any other information or comment we can provide at this time. We will issue any update proactively when available, given the wide interest in this subject”.
Police scout the Marokopa area today amid a renewed search for missing man Tom Phillips and his three children. Photo / Mike Scott
The Herald has approached the New Zealand Defence Force and Marokopa Marae for comment.
Acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said: “Police are conducting inquiries in the wider Marokopa area today after a reported sighting of Tom Phillips and his three children Ember, Maverick, and Jayda Phillips.
“A visible police presence will be in the area while this is ongoing.”
A police officer in Marokopa told the Herald on Saturday afternoon they would be in the area for “a few” days.
Police are in Marokopa, Waikato, after a reported sighting of missing man Tom Phillips and his three children. Photo / Mike Scott
An $80,000 reward was offered for two weeks in June in return for information leading to the safe return of the children.
It expired at midnight on June 25 with no sign of the fugitive father or his kids, but 50 tips that police deemed “worthy of consideration” came from the public.
The video was released the day Jayda, the eldest child, turned 11, with her mum pleading for fugitive dad Tom to “bring my babies home”.
“They are just innocent children, they do not deserve to be treated this way. They do not deserve the life that is being provided to them right now,” she said, adding that what Phillips was doing was “not okay”.
In her video, Cat said: “My babies deserve better. I am just a mother standing here in front of the world begging you here to help me bring my babies home.
“Please, if anybody has any information at all, call the police.”
On the day of the video, acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said police “are committed to getting a result as soon as possible”.
The mother released a letter on social media a day later, which she claims was written by Tom Phillips. It is unclear when the letter itself was written.
The letter stated: “I don’t know what to say or do to help you forgive me”.
It ends by saying: “I know I used to make you happy, I know I can make you happy again if you let me. We get on so well most of the time and we are an awesome couple. We have an awesome family and that’s worth fighting for.”
In the week before the mother’s appeal, officers had been conducting police checkpoints around the rural Waikato town. Motorists were stopped by police, with licences being checked and questions asked.
The police Eagle helicopter had scoured the region, and residents were informed there would be an increased police presence in the area.
The response was scaled back after the reward period expired.
Saunders said police would continue to have a dedicated investigation team assessing information and conducting follow-up inquiries.
Police confirmed more than 150 reports of information were made throughout the appeal period, via phone, email or in-person to officers.
“As a result of our inquiries we have identified over 50 reports that we think are worthy of consideration and which are being investigated further,” Saunders said, as the reward period ended.
He confirmed officers were focusing on “several locations of interest in western Waikato”.
“The last sighting that police believe was Tom Phillips was November 2, 2023, from CCTV the attempted burglary at Piopio store,” police said.
Police are looking for Tom Phillips after the wanted man and one of his children were captured on CCTV smashing the window of a business in Piopio. Photo / NZ Police
Security footage from the most recent sighting shows a man, believed to be Phillips, with a younger person breaking into the Piopio store in camouflage attire. The store’s alarm was set off in the early hours of the morning.
A red quad bike was reported stolen from a Marokopa Rd property the day before.
Police said the latest phase of the investigation has been about “appealing to the community - including people that we believe are assisting Tom - and asking them to do the right thing and tell us what you know”.
“Information reported to police during this latest phase will inform further inquiries and help narrow any potential search area.”
