The Police Commissioner says the Tom Phillips case isn't closed, with officers now turning their attention to potential accomplices.
Phillips was shot dead by police after a robbery in Piopio, and an officer was seriously injured in the shootout.
RNZ spoke to Minister of Police Mark Mitchell and commissioner Richard Chambers before they went to Waikato Hospital in Hamilton to visit the injured officer and his family.
"Now that I have more information on the events of yesterday, there is absolutely no doubt that my New Zealand Police staff saved the life of their colleague during the early hours of yesterday morning," Chambers said.
"We were confronted with a situation that was very dangerous and there was absolutely no doubt Mr Phillips was motivated to kill one of my staff members. Fortunately, other colleagues of ours were there and were able to deal with that immediately."
Chambers said he was relieved the children were found safely, but saddened by Phillips' death.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers and Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Photo: Mark Papalii / RNZ
"I'm very, very grateful that the work we have done over the last four years resulted in the safe recovery of the children, that was always one of our goals," he said.
"The other goal was, of course, that we arrest Mr Phillips. Unfortunately the way that unfolded yesterday morning had a tragic outcome, but my staff are trained to deal with these situations and they did everything I would expect them to do."
The work was far from over, Mark Mitchell said, with police finding a "stockpile of firearms" in the bush.
"Police have got an ongoing investigation... Hopefully we will understand where those firearms have come from, who has provided them, how he has managed to acquire them."
Chambers said police would consider whether the firearms had been stolen or willingly supplied by an accomplice.
"We've got a lot of work to do to try and put the puzzle together in terms of those firearms... There's a lot of work to do to try and understand who, if anybody, may have been assisting Mr Phillips," he said.
"We are confident he has had firearms from the very beginning, we know he's been armed and very motivated and dangerous from the beginning."
Speaking to media on Tuesday afternoon, Chambers said the guidance from one of Phillips' children helped them navigate otherwise tricky conditions.
"We were able to get the support of one of the children yesterday morning to better understand where the other children may be located.
"That information allowed us to locate the remaining children about 2 kilometres away in dense bush."
Chambers said police were also advised they were likely to find at least one firearm at the campsite, which they did.
He said their approach until the children were found safe and well was "cautious".
"We must not forget these children have been living in the bush for four years, they are skilled in that environment, and we need to approach that scene very, very cautiously to ensure nobody was harmed and we worked very hard to recover them safely."
Chambers said the campsite would not be easily found, and that Phillips and his children had been mobile during the four years, which is why police were unable to locate them.
Chambers said Phillips was a motivated offender whose intent was to kill a police officer.
He said he personally observed four bullet holes in the front of the police car of the officer who was shot.
In Marokopa, a relative of the Phillips family said he expected the fugitive father would have been helped evade police.
Stanley Vickery, 95, said he did not think Phillips did anything wrong.
Stanley Vickery, a 95-year-old relative of the Phillips family. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
"It's been four years they've been chasing him. He's got a lot of blame for different things," he said.
"It's the kids that I think of you know. Who's going to look after the kids now?"
Vickery said Phillips likely had help in the community.
"Somebody's helping him they must've been...but the family reckon they didn't know where he was."
A Marokopa resident who did not want to be named said Phillips was not a bad man but had made bad decisions.
They said the situation should not have ended with him being fatally shot.
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