The Government has accepted all of the recommendations in the Public Inquiry into the Disappearance of the Phillips Children, which was released today.
Minister, Louise Upston said that while the circumstances of the case were exceptional, lessons must be learned, particularly about how agencies should work and operate together.
“At the heart of this are the Phillips children who lived for almost four years in isolation from family, community and wider society, in squalid conditions which deprived them of the experiences, relationships, and opportunities New Zealanders would regard as fundamental to a happy and healthy childhood,” said Ms Upston.
“To the Phillips children directly, this report has found that our agencies did not take all practical steps to protect you. For that we are deeply sorry.”
The inquiry conducted by Simon Moore KC acknowledges the complexity of the environment, the elevated risk that agencies faced trying to locate the children and recognises the exceptional dedication and courage of many individuals – especially those in the Police and in particular the officer injured on September 8, 2025.
However, the inquiry highlights areas where agencies didn’t do enough, didn’t share the right information, didn’t listen to the family, or didn’t act with enough urgency.
“Significant opportunities were missed, particularly between the two disappearances,” Ms Upston said.
“The Inquiry found that the harm caused by Tom Phillips isolating the children from family, friends and society was underplayed, minimised or overlooked by agencies for significant periods.
“So too were concerns of the maternal whānau, which were often minimised as being part of a parenting dispute.
“The Inquiry also found that while agencies worked well together at times – a more consistent and collaborative interagency approach could have prevented the children’s disappearance the second time and brought them back sooner.”
The Inquiry made 41 findings and nine recommendations which the Government has accepted. A number of recommendations are already underway as part of the Government’s response to the Poutasi Review and Abuse in Care Inquiry.
Police has strengthened the provisions of its Missing Persons policy to include instances in which children are deliberately concealed or isolated and have strengthened its investigations model to ensure there is senior oversight and appropriate resourcing of prolonged and complex investigations.
Oranga Tamariki, Police and Health NZ have updated the Child Protection Protocol to recognise deliberate concealment, prolonged isolation, and controlling access to children as forms of harm, while mandatory training for core children’s workers to better identify and respond to abuse and neglect is currently being rolled out in phases.
Minister Upston says while it is extremely important government agencies reflect on and learn from this tragic and sad event, it is equally important the Phillips children are left in peace so they can get on with their lives.
“They are the most important people in this. Their interests must come first,” she said.
The full report can be found here: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Public-Inquiry-into-the-Disappearance-of-the-Phillips-Children.
The Cabinet paper and agency response can be found here: https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/newsroom/2026/government-response-disappearance-of-the-phillips-children.html.
