Police have “no regrets” over the $80,000 reward they posted to draw out those harbouring Marokopa father Tom Phillips and his three children.
And they’ve revealed Oranga Tamariki has been on standby to assume responsibility for the children, if and when they were found during the two-week period the reward was on offer.
The reward lapsed on Tuesday night, but police say they have 50 new pieces of information that may yet help lead to the safe return of Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8.
“I am very comfortable with where we are at with the investigation. I know it’s frustrating that we still haven’t found the children but I am very happy with the information that has come in in the last two weeks,” said Acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders.
He said he had “no regrets” over the amount offered to bring the children home safe.
“I believe $80,000 was a very good amount. I’ve heard lots of people out there saying it should have been more, but for those people who have strong loyalty to Tom that may be helping him, if $80,000 wasn’t going to do it, no amount of money would.”
The children have been missing for two and a half years, after their father Tom Phillips breached a custody order when he took them on the run in December 2021.
Since then, he’s been accused of serious offences, including the May 2023 armed holdup of the Te Kūiti ANZ bank and the alleged burglary of a Piopio superette.