Tom Phillips and his children Jayda, Maverick, and Ember have been missing since December 2021.
The Marokopa man, who does not have legal custody of the children, was charged after an armed heist of ANZ Te Kūiti on Rora St last year.
He and the children are thought to be in Western Waikato within Marokopa or the surrounding areas.
Police said today they have concerns for the welfare of the children who have been living in isolation for the past two-and-a-half years, with no connection to others and without formal education and health care.
A team of officers has been deployed to the Marokopa area today.
"Police will be visible in the community over the coming days and we encourage anyone with credible knowledge of the whereabouts of the Phillips children and who is prepared to assist the investigation team to make themselves known to our officers.
"We believe that Tom and the children are being assisted and we’re urging anyone who’s doing this to please stop, do the right thing and tell Police what you know," police said in a statement.
Phillips was considered armed and should not be approached.
Information can be provided to the investigation team by contacting the 105 reporting line, quoting the file number 211218/5611, or by emailing to the dedicated email address op.curly@police.govt.nz
Phillips and his children first went missing in September 2021, sparking a massive ground, sea and air search, while family at home feared the worst after the father’s grey Toyota Hilux was found on the beach, with waves crashing against it.
They returned home after 17 days, and police later charged Phillips with wasteful deployment of police resources.
But Phillips didn’t show up at the Te Kuiti District Court for his first appearance on January 12, 2022. A warrant was then issued for his arrest.
Members of the public believed he had gone to live in remote bushland with his children.
Police had no confirmed sightings of Phillips until August when a member of their public reported their ute had been stolen.
The ute was identical to that which police had released images of when they revealed Phillips had been seen at three different locations across Waikato in the same month.
