Town silent on missing family
Things move slowly in Marokopa – it’s already been four months since Thomas Phillips and his three children disappeared from the family homestead, only returning once for supplies.
The isolated town is an hour’s drive from Ō torohanga, past the world-famous Waitomo Caves and through native bush, broken only by ancient rock formations and farmland.
It is home to fewer than 100 people, and it’s obvious. The streets are deserted, wild horses gallop down the beach. The town’s one shop sits vacant, with bare shelves.
The community is tight-knit and wary of outsiders, but everyone knows the missing family’s last name.
‘‘No’’ a farmer said sternly when asked about Phillips, his faint smile turning to a piercing stare.
He, his two working dogs and his teenage daughter carried on down the beach.
A man who lives in a small cabin and caravan with his German Shepherd said he purposely kept his head down.
‘‘In a place like this, that’s for the best,’’ he said, with a grin.
‘‘We’re a close community, and we don’t want to be disparaging about anybody,’’ a woman said, ‘‘but I think there’s a lot of people that believe what the police are saying – that someone is helping him.’’
’’As everyone’s probably said, I’m a bit concerned about the kids, especially now it’s getting colder.
‘‘I think everyone’s a bit over it really.’’
Alarm bells were first sounded after Phillips’ ute was found below the tideline at Kiritehere Beach on September 11.
The child seats in the back were empty, the keys were under the driver’s side mat.
Phillips, and his children Jayda Jin, Maverick and Ember – then aged 8, 6, and 5 – live in Ō torohanga, but had been at his family farm on Marokopa Rd.
Police and search and rescue volunteers scoured the desolate coast to no avail.
Extensive searches, including with heat-detecting drones, a helicopter, a fixed-wing plane, an IRB and a jet ski, found nothing.
While there were concerns the family might have been swept off the rocks during the weekend of stormy weather, the wider Phillips family had remained hopeful the father had taken his children on a camping trip.
After 18 days, the family unexpectedly walked through the door.
They survived in a tent in the dense bush, about 15 kilometres away from the coast.
Phillips went bush with his children for a second time in December, prompting police monitoring but no search.
He failed to appear in the Te Kū iti District Court at 11am on January 12 on a single charge of causing wasteful deployment of police personnel and resources. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
Two months later, Phillips’ family told the police he returned to a family home briefly in February to pick up supplies, Waikato west area commander Inspector Will Loughrin said.
‘‘He provided reassurances to his family that he and his children
Former Hamilton mayor Andrew King is planning a return to politics – this time as a National MP. The one-term mayor wants to contest the Hamilton West electorate and has put his name forward to the National Party.
King served two terms on the Hamilton City Council, including a three-year stint as mayor. He stood for re-election in 2019 but was defeated by rival Paula Southgate.
Almost three years on, King says he wants to serve the public again.
‘‘I feel like I have more to give,’’ King told Stuff.
‘‘I have a business background and, as mayor, I made the hard calls not to borrow more money. Instead, we focused on bringing in enough money, so the council could pay its way.
‘‘I believe in a strong economy while being compassionate to our vulnerable. That’s what I tried to do as the mayor and that’s what I want to do in central government as well.’’
A highlight of King’s mayoral tenure was the opening up of Peacocke thanks to a sizeable Government investment.
King joined the National Party shortly after losing the mayoralty. He said party leader Christopher Luxon has given National much needed direction.
‘‘He has brought hope to the National Party whereas before there was little hope.’’
King approached National’s Hamilton West electoral chairperson during the past summer and expressed interest in standing. He’s been told one other person has also put their name forward.
Official nominations have not yet opened. King expects party delegates to choose a candidate at the start of 2023.
Tim Macindoe served four terms as National’s MP for Hamilton West and lost the seat to Labour’s Gaurav Sharma in 2020.
The seat of Hamilton West was first contested in 1969. Since then, only one sitting MP – the late Sir Leslie Munro – has retired from the seat.
Hamilton West is regarded as a bellwether seat, a place where candidates’ fortunes ebb and flow with the prevailing political tide. In 16 of the past 18 elections, the candidate who has won Hamilton
West has belonged to the party that has gone on to form the Government.
King said Hamilton West is winnable.
‘‘I would never have put my name forward if National was holding the seat. I’m not suggesting Tim [Macindoe] hasn’t done a good job. I’m making myself available for the seat because it’s a vacant seat.’’
Stuff was unable to reach Macindoe for comment.
King said he has ministerial ambitions.
‘‘I believe the Waikato needs a strong person to be speaking for our region, to bring favour to our region.
‘‘As mayor, the council supported me to bring in the funding from central government to open up Peacocke which had been talked about for 30 years. We need people in high positions of influence to remind the Government that the Waikato is an extremely prosperous place, and it needs to be recognised and looked after.’’
Since leaving local government, King has been running his own business interests, including Kings Finance.
He has ruled out a return to council politics.