All Episodes

October 10, 2024 • 14 mins

New Zealand reporter Karen Rutherford chats to Galey and Emily Jade about the disappearance of a family in the NZ wilderness that's made international headlines.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Great.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Good morning, Karen Rutherford from New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (00:05):
How are you wwning? Good morning, good morning. I'm good,
thank you, and I'm even better now that we think
potentially that the Mutterkorpa family may maybe found.

Speaker 3 (00:14):
Oh my god.

Speaker 4 (00:15):
Okay, So we started talking about this when we first
saw it trending worldwide. So before we get into what
you're about to tell us, can you talk us through
the whole story better than what we chatted about on
air because we were just pulling bits of information around.
But you are the journalist that has been covering this
for all this time.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
Yeah, yeah, I feel like I've been living and breathing
it actually since September twenty twenty one. So just to
take your listeners back, I mean, it was over three
years ago when Tom Phillips took his three children and
he parts his ute on the Kiddi Tekety Beach, which
is a really remote and rugged beach on the west
coast of the North Island. It made it look like

(00:55):
they'd gone into the sea or drowned or something terrible
had happened. A massive land there in sea search was launched.
He emerged after seventeen days, had actually been in a
really thick piece of bush south of the family farm,
and they'd been hiding basically, and he came back. But

(01:15):
it did really get under the skin of a lot
of New Zealanders because people were really really worried about
these children. They thought they died anyway. All was well,
but a family custody dispute was brewing and there was
obviously an order made and in mid December twenty twenty one,
Tom Phillips took the children and really the group of

(01:37):
them haven't been seen since December twenty twenty one, so
almost three years, in which time he has been accused
of robbing a bank, using potentially one of the kids
as an accomplice. Held up the AMZ bank in security
at gunpoint. There was an attack on a Superwete and

(01:58):
Pupil which is a little town in the king Country,
and they were caught on CCTV. Tom Phillips allegedly and
one of the children again. So there are a lot
of charges that he's up on and he is a
wanted man and that's why people have lost patience with him.
They thought he was, you know, some of them, just
a good dad, you know, taking the kids off to

(02:20):
get away from an ex partner or ex wife. But yeah,
these children have been used in allegedly criminal activity and
their mum wants them home. She's desperate.

Speaker 5 (02:31):
Why did he have Why did he have custody in
the first place? Was it shared custody? It was just
his turn when he had them?

Speaker 1 (02:38):
So there's a backstory there too.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
Are we allowed to see that story?

Speaker 1 (02:43):
I interviewed the children's mother. She's only ever been interviewed twice,
and the first time was back in January twenty twenty
two when Tom failed to turn up to court, and
I did a sit down with her and asked her
why it was that he had custody in the first place,
and she wouldn't be on that. There's a lot of
mystery around that. I think she's turned her life around

(03:05):
and now is very keen to do the best thing
for the children, let's just say that. So yeah, I
think between the two of them, over the years, they've
been a few issues.

Speaker 4 (03:18):
Now the town apparently is keeping them a secret. Something
I read when journalists like yourself or whatever are going
to the little town that he's from, which seems very small,
people don't talk about it.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
They're protecting him. Is that the truth or is that.

Speaker 4 (03:32):
Journalism gone a little bit too sensational corp.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
But it's a beautiful, beautiful rugged It's like the wild
West out on the other coast of New Zealand. Very
very few people go there. The people that do have
little batches, little cribs, if you like, where they go
to get away from the world. The people that live
there tend to sort of shun authority and the mainstream

(03:58):
media and anything that that revolves around sort of government
interventionre No one likes any kind of authority out there.
They do their own thing and they live by their
own rule. That said, they're wonderful people, a lot of them.
They're just so welcoming when you actually do kind of
get to know them. But some of them do actually
believe that Tom is within his rights to keep the

(04:22):
kids and then stay on the run. They're all they
kind of a community, some of them who shun the mainstream,
they shun the government and authority, and they're all about
protecting him and there are several people doing so.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
Now there's a ransom for him, wasn't there.

Speaker 1 (04:43):
Is?

Speaker 3 (04:44):
The pig hunters.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
Could they get some of that money since they're the
people that have spotted them, and then what's happened with
what you said in the beginning of the interview that
they may have been found.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yeah, well, that reward was issued by the police in
June of this year. A lot of people said, is
it enough to bring people out of the woodwork, But
there are believed to only be a handful of people
that are helping Tom and a lot of feeling is
that that money was never going to be enough to
flush them out. They're quite loyal to him and they're

(05:16):
dropping supplies to him, according to police, and police have
been urging anyone that is helping him to come forward.
That reward actually expired, so by July, you know, it
was an even slate to clean slate again. So unfortunately,
these pig hunters are not eligible to claim that they
are a couple of young boys out on the family farm.

(05:37):
They're from Hamilton, and this farm is so remote. It's
sort of seven or eight k's of coastline, hundreds and
hundreds of hectares of bush, very rugged terrain, and they
were on the farm hunting and they actually been doing
some work with the sheep as well during the day,
I think, and then Dif went out pig hunting in

(05:59):
the evening and saw these four people, a heavily bearded
man covered in sort of camo gear in a hood
and three children trapsing along behind them in the line.
And they were also clad in camo gear and had
big backpacks on, and they sort of seemed to fit
and well. And they called out to them. One of
the boys is reported to have said, you know, hey,

(06:22):
you know this is private property. And the eldest girl,
who the mother thinks was Jada, she said duh. And
he said, well, does anybody know you're on here? And
she replied, only you.

Speaker 4 (06:38):
So she's still a teen, even in the wilderness and
not seeing anyone for three years.

Speaker 1 (06:43):
That's right, drh, I.

Speaker 2 (06:44):
Just don't have a room to go lock herself in.

Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah, exactly, roll her eyes at her mum.

Speaker 1 (06:48):
That's right, that's right. So, and Jada is eleven now,
and at the time of the bank robbery, which there
is some suggestions she may have been the feet on
the back of the bike, she would have been nine
years old. Tom Phillips's arms, he's dangerous, and that's why,
you know, a lot of New Zealanders have now lost
patience with him, because you know he was this modern

(07:11):
day Robin Hood for a few months, but now no,
he's a man on the run and he's keeping children
from society and from their mum, and from their half
siblings and from their community, many of whom they just
want them home and they want to know they're okay.

Speaker 5 (07:26):
Is there a fear that if he's confronted or feeling
like it's becoming to an end of his journey and
that he's going to get caught, that he may harm
the kids.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
There is absolutely a fear that he is potentially paranoid,
that the net is closing in on him. Knowing what
I know about the family and the way he's been
as a father over the years, I personally I don't
think he would ever harm the children, and that's obviously
come from his side of the family. You know, they

(08:01):
always have maintained he's a good dad and he's never
shown any thing that would suggest he would harm the children.
But as he's cornered, you know, by police, there's nothing
to say that he wouldn't open fire. And that's why
police have really really stopped people going on public searches

(08:22):
and taking to the bush themselves to look for him.
It is really rugged territory, guys. Honestly, there are caves
all up that coast. There are so many places they
could hide, and a lot of New Zealanders say, gosh,
how could you hide for almost three years with three children?
But if you go to that area you will see
it is so so rough and ready the most key

(08:45):
Wes don't even get that.

Speaker 4 (08:46):
Yes, Karen, what do you think he's told the kids
to have them continue to hide with him, because surely
they'd start to question, especially as they get older.

Speaker 1 (08:57):
Yeah, it's anyone's guess. The ex wife maintains that he
will be you know, turning the children against him, sorry,
turning the children against her. But you know, it's hard
to know what he's telling them. I think initially it
was all very much this is a game. We're going camping,

(09:17):
and let's pack up, and let's let's god bush. And
that was I think the since when they first went missing,
the children didn't understand why they were being taken. But
second time round, you know, when he's using stolen yuts
and Robin banks allegedly, you've got to wonder, you know,

(09:37):
whether they know that what's being done is actually is
actually right.

Speaker 3 (09:41):
Mike concern.

Speaker 4 (09:41):
I don't know if you're a mum, Karen, but I am,
And I've got a thirteen year old and it's getting
to that era for his eldest daughter that she's going
to start going through puberty.

Speaker 3 (09:50):
And I wonder if he stays on the run, if
he can cope with that.

Speaker 1 (09:55):
Yeah, and that has been in the minds of so
many people this whole time. You know, Jada is eleven
now and she needs her mum or she needs female
influence in her life. And Tom does have family members.
I've been in touch with his parents pretty much the
whole way through this. Quite a religious family that live

(10:17):
on a farm near Marta Korper and genuinely quite worried
for Jada and Maverick and Ember. They want some family
influence around them. But yeah, in terms of having sort
of female influence or other adults in their lives, you've
got to wonder that if they getting help from people.

(10:38):
Potentially there are women in that circle that might actually
be helping him, dropping off supplies and things like that.
But yeah, little Ember, she's an asthmatic and there's real
concerned for her. How is she getting a medication all
this time?

Speaker 3 (10:50):
Maybe just living healthily out in the air. It's disappeared.

Speaker 4 (10:54):
One other thing, Karen, you have an amazing director in
New Zealand, Hiko with tit and he made a film
The Hunt for the Wilder People.

Speaker 3 (11:03):
It's so similar. Are you guys drawing similarities to that film?

Speaker 1 (11:09):
Oh, there's so many similarities been drawn throughout this. I
mean I had an approach from an American documentary maker
way back in sort of early twenty twenty two when
he failed to turn up to court. The Americans were
interested in doing something on this. It is a fascinating
story of family dynamics and children sort of almost you know,

(11:33):
have they been taken it their will? Are they just
out there enjoying life? But right now you know they're
missing out on mainstream they're missing out on schooling, friends,
and in most importantly family in a normal life. So
it's got all the hallmarks of an incredible movie. But sadly,
you've got three little people at the center of this,
and they you know, they real lives, and yeah, it's

(11:58):
very sad at this point. Hopefully they'll be at home soon.
Do you have a feeling close last week?

Speaker 5 (12:03):
Yeah, do you have a feeling that it is enduring
to an end. You're coming to a close.

Speaker 1 (12:09):
Oh, this has happened so many times, and I kind
of get my hopes up and rush out there to
the coast. But he moves quickly, and he has a
network of a small network of helpers. And unless the
police act very very quickly, of which they've been accused

(12:30):
you of not acting quickly, then Tom will be gone
in a flash. That's how he works. And the police
were notified at sort of seven o'clock last Thursday night
by these pig hunts, these young teenage boys who videoed
them in the hills. But they won't actually say how
quickly they put boots on the ground. We understand it

(12:52):
wasn't until the next morning, so they had some patrols
that night. But in terms of actually getting the searchers
out and alicopters, there's some suggestion that it took time.
Takes time to mobilize because it's so remote.

Speaker 5 (13:08):
Well, they've had time to actually work out all these
little hiding spots too, like that they would be well prepared.

Speaker 1 (13:13):
Yeah, yeah, And as I say, there are caves. It's
just such a fascinating kind of territory out there. Because
they called tumil. It's a Maldi name for caves, and
there are hundreds of tumil on everybody's farms, so it's
very easy to move from cave to cave and under

(13:33):
the cover of darkness. So yeah, he knows how to
live off the land.

Speaker 4 (13:38):
It is such a fascinating story, Karen, we on air
were saying, this could be a movie, and then the
movie could be that there's this the plotline of the
dad on the run, but then there's maybe some international
person that's interested in finding them, a tracker that comes,
and then I can also see your role in the movie.
Karen is like the journalists that you have never even
met Tom, and you're talking about him like you know

(13:59):
him because you spent three years of your life getting
to know the whole family, like it is a blockbuster.

Speaker 1 (14:06):
Yeah, it's a fascinating story. But yeah, at the heart
of it, as I say, you know three little children
and you've kind of got to wonder what's going through
their mind and all of us. So here's hoping it
all ends well. But at this point, yeah, Tom Phillips
is facing charges when in a few years Broughten, Well.

Speaker 3 (14:23):
Thank you so much for your time, Karen.

Speaker 4 (14:25):
I know you're in demand at the moment with this story,
and we really appreciate you connecting with us. And we're
on the Gold Coast and we actually say that we're
almost a suburb of New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (14:33):
There's so many Kiwis here.

Speaker 1 (14:35):
Of course you are, and hello to all the Kiwis.
Go with it, died.

Speaker 2 (14:40):
Good on you, Karen, Thank you, We'll be in touch.

Speaker 1 (14:42):
Thank you all right, see you, b
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.