3 w. ago As a dark chapter closes, NZ reckons with fugitive father Tom Phillips’ four years on the run

Phillips’ three children were rescued from the wilderness this week as the complex case stirs emotions and questions remain over how it unfoldedIn a dark, grimy dugout in the middle of the freezing New Zealand bush, the three Phillips children lived with their father. Childhood is measured in increments; birthdays, lost teeth, certificates, a felt tip on a height chart. In the version of reality Tom Phillips created and controlled for his children, it’s hard to know how time was marked. But from 9 December 2021, when their father took them from their mother and the rest of their family, it would be 1,368 sleeps before the children were rescued.This week, after almost four years on the run, Phillips was found on his way back from a robbery with one of his children. He was shot dead after being stopped by road spikes and opening fire on police, shooting an officer in the head and shoulder. This sparked an urgent search for the two children remaining in the bush. They were found with t...

Politics

3 w. ago Shocking discovery deep in the New Zealand bush after children are finally found after years on the run with their dad

Stunning new visuals from inside the police search area have raised fresh questions about how the fugitive survived in the wilderness for so long.

Events

3 w. ago Boy's astonishing act after police kill fugitive dad and find children in bush

Police said Maverick Phillips, 10, was wielding a rifle when specialist officers descended on their bush camp near Waitomo, in the district of Waikato, New Zealand

Events

3 w. ago Inside filthy campsite dad forced children to live in after snatching them four years ago

A muddy, makeshift camp deep in the New Zealand bush which was the home of three missing children and their dad contained quad bikes, blankets and cans of fizzy drinks

Society

3 w. ago Revealed: Squalid campsite where fugitive New Zealand father's kids were found hiding after four years on the run

New photos have revealed the remote campsite where police discovered Tom Phillips' children.

Politics

3 w. ago Inside squalid bush campsite where Tom Phillips' kids were found hiding as New Zealand's Prime Minister says siblings were 'exposed to things that children in our country should not be'

New photos have revealed the remote campsite where police discovered Tom Phillips' children.

Politics

4 w. ago Shocking new photos show bush campsite where Tom Phillips' children were found hiding: 'Exposed to things that children in our country should not be'

New photos have revealed the remote campsite where police discovered Tom Phillips' children.

Culture

4 w. ago Tom Phillips: Inside four year search for 'bushman dad' who vanished with 3 kids

After four-years living in the deep New Zealand bush, Tom Phillips and his three children were found after a bodged supply robbery at a local shop, leading to a dramatic end of the "bushman dad"

Politics