Police have stepped up their search for Tom Phillips after a warrant for his arrest was issued following a bank robbery in Te Kuiti back in May.
The missing Marokopa dad disappeared with his three children Jayda, Maverick and Ember in January 2022, with law enforcement so far unsuccessful in finding him and confirming the wellbeing of the children.
From his disappearance to the charges laid yesterday, the story has captured the attention of the nation, most especially nearby Waikato communities like Otorohanga.
The town's mayor Max Baxter joined Breakfast this morning, saying the charges laid yesterday mark a "real change in events".
"If we go back historically, there's a lot of conversation about the welfare of the children and there's certainly been a whole change just recently in terms of the announcement yesterday," he said.
The charges against Phillips include aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding unlawfully possessing a firearm, Baxter expressing concerns for the wellbeing of children.
"The feeling in the community up until this time ... was the concern for the children and hopefully [that] their welfare was okay.
"These charges are very, very serious, and you gotta ask the question now, what is the safety of the children like? Let's hope that they're still absolutely fine.
"Very, very serious crimes have been allegedly been committed so, what're you doing in terms of looking after your children when you're out there in the community doing this?"
Baxter said the Otorohanga community has felt the impact of Phillips' disappearance, an anxious feeling that has only amplified since the robbery charges were laid.
"When we heard about the bank robbery in Te Kuiti, which is only about 12 minutes away, [we were] really, really concerned. This is close to home, and when you think [about] this is happening in small town New Zealand, obviously people do go into a higher level of alert for sure."
Accounting for everything to this point, Baxter's message to Tom Phillips is straightforward: "It's time to come forth".
"We've talked about the welfare of the children, but it's also about the welfare of Tom and the welfare of Tom's greater whānau as well.
"Come forward now and come forward quietly, just notify the police, they're looking for you and let's get this over with now please."
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