What police consider to be the main campsite of Tom Phillips and his children in the months before he was shot.NZ POLICE

Since the news broke that Tom Phillips had been shot by police, internet forums have been inundated with supporters describing the fugitive father as a hero.

The police – and the Government – have pushed back hard.

“Any good parent, any good father who loves their children, does not do this to them … does not put them in these situations,” Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said on September 9, the day after the shooting.

“This guy is in no way, shape or form a hero. Quite the opposite, he’s a monster,” Police Minister Mark Mitchell added two days later.

But the narrative persisted (and persists) online.

In a five-minute video, posted to TikTok on September 10, a picture of Phillips with a message describing him as a “good dad” is soundtracked by a country music-style tribute song.

“Tom Phillips was a good kiwi dad who needed a hug. Fishing, pig hunting, stories to tell,” a man sings.

Tributes poured in on Facebook too.

“The police, the media and certain pockets of public opinion, forced Tom Phillips into a corner; with no option but to go into survival mode,” wrote another. “Rest in love Tom Phillips.”

Such comments are offset by hundreds of others condemning Phillips’ actions and expressing concern for the various parties harmed in the four-year ordeal. Arguments between commenters are common.

But the hero discourse has remained prevalent, fuelled by a characterisation of Phillips as a martyr against a tyrannical police force.

Stuff’s explainer reporter Emma Ricketts looked back through four years of internet commentary to see where it all began.

2021: Tom Phillips and children first go missing

The first time Tom Phillips hit headlines was September 2021. His ute had been found below the tideline at Kiritehere Beach near Marokopa and he, along with his three children, were nowhere to be found.

Police conducted a large search and rescue operation using heat-detecting drones, a helicopter, a fixed-wing plane, an IRB and a jetski.

Seventeen days later, Phillips and his children returned to the family’s Marokopa farm.

Immediately, arguments broke out online.

“Best news I’ve heard for a while, not sure why people are put out by his actions tho. He can live any way and anywhere he likes and he doesn’t need to tell anyone why or justify himself in my opinion,” one person wrote on Facebook.

“Struggling to see what he did wrong. He should of told people what he was [up to] sure. And I can understand having the search n rescue. But ultimately no harm was done,” another said.

Others disagreed.

“Glad they [are] all OK but first rule of going bush is let someone know your plans. And don’t set up your car up to make it look like something else. He’s no legend.”

January 2022: court no-show

On January 12, 2022, Phillips was due in court on a charge of wasteful deployment of police resources relating to the September incident.

He and his children vanished in December 2021, apart from a single sighting in February 2022, and remained missing until this month.

But several reported sightings and criminal incidents that police linked to Phillips kept the family in the public consciousness over the years.

Online, popular opinions evolved.

One of the police cars involved in the shootout between Tom Phillips and police.David White / Stuff

Early in 2022, many appeared to sympathise with Phillips. The charge of wasting police resources was deemed excessive and unfair to a man wanting to teach his kids the art of bushcraft, several said.

“All of this started off just a dad camping with his kids,” said one person. “Let’s not forget they then charged him for the search and rescue he didn’t ask for. Poor bugger.”

Another wrote: “He didn’t purposefully go missing. The community and police through presumptions and assumptions had … involved search and rescue teams, and the wider community. Blimmen heck man!”

A smaller, yet prolific, subset of supporters deemed Phillips “heroic” for escaping society.

Remember, early 2022 was a fraught time.

Omicron had arrived and the government had adopted a three-stage traffic light system to cope with the outbreak. Vaccine mandates were in effect and many New Zealanders were using the Covid Tracer app to scan into businesses.

In Wellington, thousands of protesters camped on Parliament’s lawn for much of February.

The anti-lockdown and anti-establishment discourse that fuelled that protest inevitably spilled into people’s perceptions of Phillips.

“The way this country is [I’d] go off grid too, diseases everywhere,” someone said.

Another wrote: “Yea can’t blame him, place is f*****d, kids wearing masks at school and getting the jab, [it’s too] far for me.”

Yet another posted: “He’s gone off grid to keep away from the horrible monsters in this country who force their opinion down the throat of others! No crime committed here, move on.”

A police investigator at the scene of the shootout with Tom Phillips.David White / Stuff

September 2025: hero becomes a martyr

Following news of Phillips’ death, posts lauding his ability to stay hidden (“this man is a straight up Kiwi Bear Grylls”) quickly evolved into tributes for a man seemingly wronged by the system.

“They literally killed someone for living outside the lines of society. F… your society. F… your thievery. F… your laws.”

On one forum, the tale of a fallen hero was quick to emerge.

“Pour one out for a real [comrade], lads,” someone wrote. “A hero died today.”

“This is the story of a man who fought against the government.”

Parallels were drawn with Australian fugitive Dezi Freeman, with some suggesting he could learn from Phillips’ ability to stay hidden for so long.

“Dez was harassed by the police since COVID just the same,” one wrote.

On September 11, the Police Minister Mitchell said the following: “This is a guy that has taken his children into abysmal conditions. You’ve seen the state of the camps. None of us, if we were responsible parents, would inflict that on our children, especially in the middle of a cold Kiwi winter.

“He has kept them away from education. He has kept them away from medical support. He has taken them and used them as human shields in violent criminal offending, and he has put his daughter in harm’s way when he tried to kill a police officer.

“So this guy is in no way, shape or form a hero. Quite the opposite — he’s a monster.”