Public inquiry finds agencies underestimated harm to Tom Phillips's children; authorities missed opportunities to recover them sooner. Tom Phillips is a public figure whose case has drawn scrutiny of child welfare systems.
New Zealand’s public inquiry has found police and Oranga Tamariki largely dismissed concerns about the Phillips children, who vanished with their father in December 2021. The government has apologised and pledged to implement recommendations. The case has drawn national outrage as the children were held in squalid conditions until 2025, when the father was killed in a police shootout.