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Key details of the Tom Phillips case will remain suppressed for now following a hearing on an urgent injunction application.

Lawyers involved in the high-profile case flocked to the High Court at Wellington this afternoon to argue over heavy restrictions blocking media, police and Oranga Tamariki from sharing certain information about the matter.

Tom Phillips was killed in the early hours of Monday morning after entering into a shootout with police, during which he critically injured an officer.

The standoff brought to a close a four-year ordeal that gripped the attention of the nation, after Phillips abducted his three children in 2021 and took them into hiding in the wilderness.

Jayda, 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9, are in Oranga Tamariki (OT) custody after being rescued on Monday.

The High Court granted an injunction that evening following an urgent oral application from top lawyer Linda Clark on behalf of Tom Phillips’ mother Julia Phillips.

Tom Phillips, top left, and his three children, first came to national attention when they disappeared in September 2021. Photo: Supplied.

The order was argued in the High Court at Wellington this afternoon before Justice Helen Cull. Major media organisations opposed the order.

Most of the details of what was said during the hearing remain heavily suppressed, but the Herald can report that a hearing was held, and the status of the interim injunction order.

Justice Cull made an order extending the injunction until Thursday next week at least.

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Linda Clark, who previously represented former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming in his own injunction case, is a partner at Dentons, specialising in public law, regulatory issues, media law and defamation.

Clark is a former journalist who left the profession in 2006 to study law.

Missing for four years

Phillips and his children first went missing in September 2021 for three weeks and police launched an extensive search operation, including using a plane, helicopter and heat-detecting drones, after his Toyota Hilux was found on Kiritehere beach.

A police vehicle parked at Kiritehere Beach. Photo / RNZ / Robin Martin

Phillips returned home at the end of that month and revealed he and the children had been living in dense bush nearby.

Police charged him with causing wasteful deployment of personnel and resources and a court date of January 12, 2022, was set after delays caused by Covid restrictions.

But, Phillips and his children disappeared again on December 12, 2021.

January 2022

Police issued an official warrant for Phillips’ arrest after he failed to appear for his court appearance at Te Kūiti District Court on January 12.

His ute was found by police near the end of the month on Mangatoa Rd near the Mangatoa track, but there was no sign of Phillips or his children.

February 2022

On February 9, Phillips returned to his family home alone at night and gathered supplies.

This would be the last time he was seen for more than a year.

May 2023

Phillips allegedly took part in a bank robbery with an accomplice in Te Kūiti that targeted an ANZ branch on Rora St.

A nearby supermarket worker was also shot at when they confronted the robbers.

The pair fled the scene on a black, farm-style motorcycle, according to police.

August 2023

Runaway day Tom Phillips was seen at Bunnings South in Kahikatea Drive . Photo / Police

Phillips was spotted at least three times in August including at Pokoro and at Bunnings Warehouses in Melville and Te Rapa.

An altercation also happened between Phillips and another man in Kawhia after the man recognised him.

November 2023

The next supposed sighting of Phillips happened on November 3, 2023, when CCTV appeared to show him and one of his children breaking into Piopio superette.

Police also believed he had stolen a red quad bike from a Piopio residence.

October 2024

There were no sightings of Phillips and his children for nearly a year until pig hunters stumbled across the group on October 3, 2024, in bushland near Marokopa.

August 2025

The final alleged sighting of Phillips before his death came on August 27, when CCTV showed footage of him breaking into the Piopio superette again, supposedly with one of his children.

September 2025

Phillips and one of his children broke into a farm supplies store in Piopio and were caught on a quadbike on the intersection of Waipuna and Te Anga Rds.

After a shootout with police, Phillips was killed and one of his children was found at the scene.

His two other children were then found at a bush campsite about 2km from the scene of the shooting.

Police provided pictures of the campsite where Tom Phillips was living at with his children. Photo / NZ Police

This campsite was approximately 200 metres away from another one where the younger children were found on Monday.

Ongoing investigations

A number of investigations are underway following Monday’s shooting and recovery of the children, including exactly what happened that morning and the movements of the family.

Investigations are also ongoing into whether Phillips received help from people to acquire firearms and different forms of transport.

Police have made it clear anyone who assisted the runaway father over the past four years would be dealt with accordingly.

Despite evading capture for so long, Phillips had been spotted several times since he disappeared from his family farm.

“Over the last four years, we have covered this terrain, this region a lot,” Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said earlier this week.

“It’s highly likely that we’ve been very, very close.”

Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.