Marokopa a year after Tom Phillips' death - 'No winners out of this ordeal'
One year after the fatal police shooting of fugitive Tom Phillips, the community of Marokopa continues to grapple with the aftermath of his years-long disappearance with his children. Local residents express ongoing pain and a desire for clarity regarding the events that led to the tragedy.
Why it matters
The case highlights the long-term social and psychological impact of high-profile criminal cases on small, tight-knit communities.
<p><b>Today marks one year since fugitive father Tom Phillips was </b><a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/08/20/police-watchdog-finds-fatal-shooting-of-tom-phillips-justified/" target="_blank">shot dead in a confrontation with police</a><b>, nearly four years after taking his children into hiding in King Country bush near the remote settlement of Marokopa. Reporter Simon Mercep returned to the district to see how the community is faring, and what questions they still want answered. </b></p> <p>In the King Country, you don't have to be in Marokopa to find someone connected to the settlement.</p> <h2>'It's absolutely gut wrenching'</h2> <p>On Te Kuiti's main street, we meet <b>Tennille Kete</b>. She's an ambulance officer, a district councillor up in Otorohanga to the north, and someone with strong family connections to Marokopa, more than an hour away on the west coast.
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