Phillips Inquiry: Where Oranga Tamariki Communication Broke Down
An inquiry led by Simon Moore KC has found Oranga Tamariki missed a series of opportunities to keep the Phillips children safe.
Oranga Tamariki chief executive Amanda Malu spoke to media inside Parliament after the report was released. She said the report identifies "missed opportunities to keep the Phillips children safe" RNZ. She said Oranga Tamariki "did not listen in the way it should have" and "the family deserved better". She told RNZ she has concerns arising from the report and will seek answers about the failings.
What happened
The case began in September 2021, when Tom Phillips disappeared with his three children and did not return for 18 days. The children were then missing for nearly four years. Phillips was later fatally shot.
The report traces the first agency contact to the morning of 30 September, after that first 18-day absence. A police officer called Oranga Tamariki, the agency responsible for child safety, to lodge a report of concern, a formal alert used when a child may be at risk. Police said Phillips had taken the children and avoided detection despite search parties. They raised concerns about living conditions at his Ōtorohanga home and that he could take the children again.
Police filed a written report of concern later on 30 September. It stated there were no immediate concerns for safety but questioned where the children had stayed and whether essential needs were met. Police told Oranga Tamariki the home was in very messy condition, with empty vodka bottles found throughout.
Police spoke to Oranga Tamariki a second time on 1 October, saying they were not satisfied with the information from Phillips. That was the last contact for some time. Think of it as a file passed on but never picked up again. The two agencies did not speak again about the case until after the children disappeared a second time more than two months later.
The report also details concerns raised by the children's older siblings, identified as Anna and Jane, who had lived with the younger siblings and Phillips as their stepfather.
What the Government has done
The inquiry process moved quickly this winter. The report was delivered on 21 July 2026 and presented to the Governor-General in July 2026. The Government released the final report of the Public Inquiry into the Disappearance of the Phillips Children on 15 September 2026, alongside an official response.
Oranga Tamariki says it accepts the recommendations relating to the inquiry. The Government says Oranga Tamariki, Police and Health NZ have updated the Child Protection Protocol, the agreement that sets out how agencies share information, to recognise deliberate concealment and prolonged isolation Beehive. The inquiry found multiple mistakes by police and Oranga Tamariki.
The broader context here is about thresholds and handover, not only individual error. The sequence from 30 September to 1 October will get close attention. A report was lodged, follow-up information was questioned, then the file went quiet for months. Malu did not contest the findings. Accountability now turns on what answers she obtains, how the updated protocol works in practice, and how ministers and the House test whether communication between agencies has changed.
