Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Missing Marokopa family: Police contacted with claims of information after reward issued

RNZ
11 Jun, 2024 08:53 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Today Waikato Police is announcing a $80,000 reward for information that leads to the location and safe return of missing Marokopa children. Visuals / NZ Police

By RNZ

Police have received emails, calls and visits from people claiming to have information about a missing man and his three children after a reward was offered yesterday.

An $80,000 reward for information on missing Marokopa man Tom Phillips and his three children that leads to their location and safe return was announced by police yesterday.

Ember, 8, Maverick, 9, and Jayda, 10, have been missing since December 2021, when they were taken by Phillips to an unknown location - though police believe it was in Western Waikato within Marokopa or the surrounding areas.

Acting Detective Inspector Andy Saunders told RNZ this appeal was aimed at the people they believed had been helping Phillips to hide.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
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
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

“This is targeted at those people with direct information as to the whereabouts of the children.”

Police were also offering the possibility of immunity from prosecution to anyone with information.

“The important aspect of this is the safe return of the children, that’s our main focus,” Saunders said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He said police had received emails, calls, and had community members engage with them since yesterday’s announcement.

Officers were now sifting through all the information and prioritising it “to see what value it is”.

It was too soon to say whether any of the information was credible, Saunders said.

He said police believed the family were in a dwelling, rather than living rough, but hadn’t been able to find them over the past two-and-a-half years despite several sightings and a number of locations of interest being identified.

Ōtorohanga’s Mayor Max Baxter told RNZ he was hopeful this would be enough for someone helping the family to come forward.

An $80,000 reward has been put up to find the three children who have been missing for two and a half years. Photo / NZME
An $80,000 reward has been put up to find the three children who have been missing for two and a half years. Photo / NZME

“$80,000 is a lot of money for anybody who’s living out at Marokopa. In fact, $80,000 is a lot of money for anybody. I’m hoping the reward is enough to change the attitude of those people that may be withholding information.”

The general consensus in the community was that somebody must be assisting Phillips, Baxter said.

“Marakopa itself doesn’t need to be identified for this reason alone, so let’s just hope people put their hand up and come forward now,” he said.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

live
Waikato Herald

Fresh Auckland flood fears as high tide coincides with rush hour downpours

11 Jul 05:50 AM
Waikato HeraldUpdated

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

11 Jul 05:30 AM
Waikato Herald

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

Fresh Auckland flood fears as high tide coincides with rush hour downpours
live
Waikato Herald

Fresh Auckland flood fears as high tide coincides with rush hour downpours

11 Jul 05:50 AM

Electrical storms are set to hit at evening rush as Auckland braces for 16 hours of rain.

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway
Waikato HeraldUpdated

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

11 Jul 05:30 AM
Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own
Waikato Herald

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
'Significant delays': Serious crash closes SH3 south of Te Kuiti
Waikato Herald

'Significant delays': Serious crash closes SH3 south of Te Kuiti

11 Jul 01:01 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP