A fugitive dad-of-three who lived for almost four years in the New Zealand wilderness with his children has been shot dead by police.

Tom Phillips vanished from the town of Marokpa in the north of the country in December 2021,taking his daughters Jada and Ember – now 11 and eight years old – and son Maverick,now nine.

There were few sightings of the family from that moment until now,with one coming in October last year.

At the end of last month,Phillips and one of his kids were captured on CCTV breaking into a small shop in Piopio while wearing camouflage gear.

The years-long manhunt came to an end in the early hours of this morning New Zealand time,following a separate burglary at a Piopio farm store.

A witness told police they had spotted Phillips riding a quad bike with one of his children and spikes were laid at an intersection based on a hunch on where he would go,according to Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers.

When one officer returned to the scene,he found the quad bike stopped but was shot in the head with a high-powered rifle at close range.

Another police unit arrived,and an officer shot Phillips dead from their vehicle.

One of his children was also at the scene,and was taken in by police uninjured.

Phillips was tracked down after he and one of his children robbed a store in Piopio (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

Phillips’ two other children were found a few hours later at a ‘nearby ‘very remote’ campsite near the site where the quad bike was stopped.

Rogers said: ‘To know the children are safe,and now receiving care after nearly four years,is an absolute relief.

‘Every person involved in this case has had the welfare of the children at heart.

‘While they are safe,this is the start of a long journey of recovery and their welfare remains our top priority. For that reason,we will not be going into details about where they are now or their mental state.’

She said the child who was with Phillips when he was killed had given police information which was instrumental in tracking down their siblings.

The officer who was shot in the confrontation at the intersection is being treated in hospital and ‘faces a long recovery’,Rogers added.