Attorney-General Judith Collins has announced a public inquiry into the disappearance of the Phillips children, aiming to determine whether government agencies took all practicable steps to protect their safety during nearly four years in the bush with their father, Tom Phillips.
The inquiry follows intense public interest over the case, which ended in September when Phillips died in a shootout with police during an alleged burglary, having evaded authorities for 1,358 days. A police officer was shot during the incident.
Collins said the inquiry would focus on the actions, legal options and decision-making of government agencies involved in the case, including how they engaged with the Family Court. However, she defended the decision to exclude examination of judicial decisions, arguing the inquiry must respect the independence of the courts.
“We are not going into a full inquiry into the entire Family Court,” she told state-funded media. “What we are looking at is what has happened in relation to the government agencies … it is important that we get some answers as to why this was able to occur and what steps were taken to bring in Phillips and those children.”
The Phillips family issued a statement welcoming the inquiry, saying they hoped it would ensure “this never happens to another family ever again.”
The inquiry will be conducted in private, with no public hearings, to 2protect the privacy and welfare of the children”, who Collins described as “especially vulnerable.” An injunction remains in place restricting publication of certain details relating to the investigation.
Former High Court judge and current Electoral Commission chair Justice Simon Moore KC has been appointed as the sole member of the inquiry. He will deliver a final report with recommendations by 21 July 2026.
Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Jill Rogers said police recognised the need for a “robust and independent review,” while Oranga Tamariki reiterated that the wellbeing and privacy of the children remained its priority.
Collins said it was too early to speculate on possible law changes arising from the inquiry but stressed the importance of understanding how the situation was able to continue for so long.
“These children were essentially left with their father in the bush for around four years,” she said. “What they have been through is something nobody should have to go through, particularly children.”
The lack of transparency in government in this country and its agencies needs to come to an end. All too often, we hear excuses trotted out by politicians, to justify the lack of accountability to the people of NZ who they work for, no less.
Suffice to say I don’t care who is elected in 2026, just so long as its not National or Labour.
Totally agree
Police robust and independent review would make a good Tui billboard, eh Collins.
Classic comment. Another good one might be “National and Labour, putting Kiwi’s first”.
“Yeah we’re not gonna address the family court system and fix the ACTUAL problem…”
Why don’t they make an enquiry without any limits?
Because an enquiry must never reveal the truth.
What are they hiding?
“Collins said the inquiry would focus on the actions, legal options and decision-making of government agencies involved in the case, including how they engaged with the Family Court.”
What a load of BS!
As if any politician would analyze the rort of the NZ family court.
“[Collins] defended the decision to exclude examination of judicial decisions, arguing the inquiry must respect the independence of the courts.” WTH? We the people put YOU Collins and your cohorts in the driver seat to examine exactly that family court rort, which is wrecking havoc on NZ society since decades.
“We are not going into a full inquiry into the entire Family Court,” …
Why not?
Why not?
The issue here is the family court is overwhelmingly gender bias against fathers. It does not matter if the court rules contract with the father. Some will go against it.
In this case the mother was and still is unfit to care for children yet she was awarded custody. A heavy drug user.
If this enquiry is to establish accountability against the family court, then im all for it. But if this enquiry is to justify the killing of a man fighting for justice, then no justice as been delivered.
Further, I suspect the extremely low NZ birth rate is a result of decades of feminism and injustice in the family court. Fix that issue, People and children will live a more peaceful and prosperous life.
In short, People who buy and pay for land own it. Just becuse you moved in for 3 summers, doesn’t mean you own it. Its the reason why you cant move in at all.
Ohhhhh i can hear the women howling now.
👍
The NZ government have been failing children for decades, a full public inquiry across the board including the judicial system is needed and they are way too corrupt to let that happen. What they are doing now is just tokenism and theatre!