Kiwi fugitive Tom Phillips killed in dramatic showdown with police

A fugitive father who had been hiding for years with his three children in the dense New Zealand wilderness is believed to have been shot dead during an armed confrontation with police responding to a break-in, police said today.

An officer was also wounded in the confrontation after being shot in the head, police said.

"The formal identification has yet to take place but we believe him to be Tom Phillips," Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers told reporters.

Live updates: Sentencing begins for mushroom killer Erin Patterson

One of the children was with the man believed to be Phillips at the time and is in police custody. A massive search is now underway for the remaining children.

Thomas Callam Phillips vanished with his children in December 2021, and despite several sightings, appeals for help, and a police search, the family's location had remained a mystery.

Police believe they were living off-grid, with the father using his survival skills to feed, shelter and clothe his children.

Early Monday local time police were called to reports of a break-in at a farming good store in the Poipoi, a town of less than 500 people in the western Waikato district in the North Island of the country, near where Phillips is believed to have been hiding out.

READ MORE: Police probe potential mistaken identity after two kids stabbed to death

Police were alerted to a four-wheeled farm bike with two people on it leaving the scene on a gravel road and set up road spikes on at a nearby intersection.

"The quad bike has run over the spikes. The two occupants have been on that bike, and it has come to a rest on this rural road. A short time later, the first attending police officer at that scene has come across that stopped quad bike and been confronted by gunfire at close range," Rogers said.

The officer was struck in the head and took cover. When another policer arrived at the scene, they shot at Phillips.

"A second person was located at the scene, and multiple firearms were located on and around the quad bike," said Rogers.

The injured officer has been airlifted to Waikato Hospital and undergo surgery.

Rogers said locating the other two children was a priority.

Tom Phillips sister, Rozzi Phillips, confirmed to CNN affiliate and public broadcaster RNZ that he had been killed.

READ MORE: Mystery lotto player pockets $2.5 million prize as state's winning run continues

Search for remaining children underway

Police have repeatedly voiced their serious concerns for the children – believed to be ages 9, 10 and 12, respectively – who've had no contact with their mother since their father failed to bring them home.

A massive police operation is now underway in rural area near Marakopa, where Phillips and the children were believed to be hiding out in dense bush.

"Police ask media and members of the public to respect the Police operation and cordons that are now in place to ensure nobody is put at risk," New Zealand police said.

Just two weeks ago, law enforcement released CCTV footage of what they believed to be Phillips and one of the children involved in an early morning burglary at convenience store in the same town as Monday's shooting.

Last June police offered a reward of 80,000 New Zealand dollars ($71,000) for information leading to their location and safe return.

Phillips' series of alleged crimes includes the armed robbery of a bank in May 2023, when two people were seen on closed circuit television escaping on a motorbike with cash.

Phillips already faced a range of charges including aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

The children's mother, known as Cat, said she was "deeply relieved that for our (children) this ordeal has come to an end," in a statement to CNN affiliate RNZ on Monday morning.

"They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care," she said

"At the same time, we are saddened by how events unfolded today. Our hope has always been that the children could be returned in a peaceful and safe way for everyone involved."

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.