Seven months after Tom Phillips disappeared with his children for a second time, police told Oranga Tamariki they believed they had found them and planned to retrieve them that night.
By Sam Sherwood of RNZ
But when police searched the farm structures, the children were not there and police found no evidence they or Phillips had ever been there.
A public inquiry into the handling of the Phillips case was released last week, finding that the harm he caused by isolating the children as well as concerns from the maternal whānau were "minimised or overlooked by agencies for significant periods".
It also says that while agencies worked well together at times a more consistent and collaborative interagency approach "could have prevented the children's disappearance and brought them back sooner".
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In the 211-page report is a brief mention of an incident in July 2022, seven months after the second disappearance.
The report said that on July 26, 2022, Oranga Tamariki generated a report of concern.
"According to the Oranga Tamariki record, police advised that they believed they had found the children and intended to retrieve them that night."
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The report also references NZ Police's Special Tactics Group (STG) searching farmland structures in Taumatotara East Rd, Te Anga on the same day.
Two days later police confirmed the children had not been found and police had no further leads, the report said.
RNZ asked police for comment on the incident, including why police said they intended to get the children that night and what it was based on.
In response, Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers said information was received by the investigation team regarding some farm structures.
"The investigation team deployed and police's specialist groups cleared the structures.
"The children were not located and no evidence was found that would suggest the children or Mr Phillips had been there."
In a statement after the report was released, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said police acknowledged the findings and accepted the recommendations of the inquiry.
"As the inquiry noted, this was a complex and unique situation and the investigation was undertaken in a very physically challenging environment over nearly four years.
"While the report acknowledges this specific situation is unlikely to be repeated, the findings will be valuable in assessing whether relevant processes and policies are fit for purpose."
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