Overview

• Footage from about 2 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 27 in Piopio shows a masked man with a child using a power tool to gain entry, spending roughly 13 minutes at the site before leaving with groceries on a quad bike.
• Investigators believe the pair are Phillips and one of his children and are asking for sightings of the quad bike between Piopio and Marokopa.
• Detectives are examining whether the break‑in signals a rift with supporters believed to have helped Phillips live off‑grid in the Waikato bush.
• Phillips is wanted on charges including aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding and unlawful possession of a firearm, and he has been linked to a May 2023 armed bank robbery in Te Kūiti.
• Police highlight concerns about the children, now about 12, 10 and 9, lacking formal schooling and regular healthcare, and say they remain open to negotiation to secure a safe return without confrontation.