Missing Marokopa child Maverick celebrates 10th birthday, fugitive father Tom Phillips still on the run

• The second-youngest of the Marokopa children has turned 10 years old while still missing with his fugitive father Tom Phillips.
• Police are not ruling out further charges for Phillips, who went missing with his children almost three years ago.
• Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders expressed concern for the children’s welfare, living in isolation for three years.

The older sisters of missing Marokopa child Maverick have wished him a happy 10th birthday, saying they hope they can one day make up for the “precious time” they’ve missed spending together.

Maverick has been missing since he was taken into the Waikato bush by his father, Tom Phillips, alongside his two sisters three years ago.

“Happy 10th Birthday sweet baby Maverick,” a post on the “Missing Marokopa Children” Facebook page reads.

The page is understood to be run by the half-siblings of the missing Marokopa children, Storm and Jubilee.

“We love and miss you all so much, and are waiting with open arms to greet you when you are able to come home.”

The post describes Maverick as a “sweet, sensitive and smart boy“ who is ”content to be independently doing a puzzle or drawing".

Maverick has been missing since he was taken into the Waikato bush by his father, Tom Phillips, alongside his two sisters.

“We hope that we will have the chance to celebrate with you before long; and that we as a family can make up for all the precious time that we have missed over the past three years.”

Ember, Maverick and Jayda Phillips have been missing since December 12, 2021, police said, after they were taken by their father, Tom Phillips, to a location unknown in the Western Waikato/Marokopa area.

Jayda was 8 years old when the family went missing, her brother Maverick was 7 and her younger sister Ember was 5.

Police charged Phillips with aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding and unlawfully possessing a firearm following a robbery in Te Kuiti in May 2023.

Last week, police said they were not ruling out further charges for Phillips.

Former police inspector Lance Burdett made a public offer to help negotiate an ending to the years-long hunt for Phillips and his three children.

The former police negotiator told the Herald: “It’s one father to another trying to resolve what’s become a deadlock. That’s the line I’m going down.”

The Missing Marokopa Children social media page has commented that they “can’t believe” people “believe negotiating over children is a step in the right direction”.

Police did not respond to questions about whether they would accept Burdett’s offer, but Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders released a statement.

“We acknowledge that there are varying perspectives on this missing person investigation.”

Tom Phillips and his three children, Ember, Maverick and Jayda were spotted in the Marokopa bush last Thursday by pig hunters.

Saunders promised that police remain focused on the location and safe return of the Phillips children.

“We have concerns for the welfare of the children who have been living in isolation for coming up three years, with no connection to others and without formal education and health care.”

Last month’s bombshell sighting was the first of Phillips and all three children since they disappeared in December 2021.

Footage emerged of Phillips and the three children tramping in remote central North Island farmland – wearing camo gear and carrying large packs after a chance encounter with teenage pig hunters.

While the photos provided some solace for the mother of the children, Cat, it proved to be short-lived as police were still unable to locate the children.

“Police are not ruling out further charges in relation to other offences that we believe Tom has been responsible for during the time that he has been in hiding.

“Tom is obviously incredibly motivated to keep himself and the children out of mainstream society, and appears willing to go to great lengths to do so,” Saunders said.

Police are searching for Tom Phillips and his three children Ember, Maverick, and Jayda, who have been missing from Marokopa since December 2021. Photo / NZME

Police were taking a “very careful approach” considering they believe Phillips is armed and could pose a threat to himself, the children, police and the public.

Many have questioned why the missing family have still not been found, with some calling for the military to be brought in to find Phillips and his three children.

“The area surrounding Marokopa is a challenging area to search.

“While we cannot provide operational detail about searches undertaken, we want to reassure the public that we have the resources in place to respond to any information or reports of sightings that come in,” Saunders said.

An arrest warrant was first issued for Phillips on December 9, 2021, after he failed to appear before court on a charge of wasting police resources.

The charge was laid after the then-34-year-old vanished with his kids from a beach near Marokopa in September 2021 – the discovery of his ute on the shoreline sparking a major land and sea search – before returning almost three weeks later, saying he needed “time out”.

Since the latest disappearance, Phillips is alleged to have been involved in several crimes, including robbing an ANZ bank and shooting at a supermarket worker in Te Kūiti in May last year – leading police to charge him with aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding and unlawfully possessing a firearm.

Information can be provided to the police investigation team by emailing the dedicated email address op.curly@police.govt.nz or by contacting the 105 reporting line or online at 105.police.govt.nz clicking ‘Update Report’ and quoting the file number 211218/5611.

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