Police Minister Backs Review into Controversial Tom Phillips Netflix Documentary

Police Minister Mark Mitchell supports an investigation into the handling of a Netflix documentary that gained "unprecedented" access to the Tom Phillips hunt.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 6, 2026, 4:57 AM EDT

Source: RNZ

Government Response to Procedural Deviations

Police Minister Mark Mitchell has publicly endorsed a review into how a documentary production crew gained exclusive access to the investigation into Tom Phillips and his children. Phillips, who spent years on the run, died in a shootout with police in September 2025. Recent documents released under the Official Information Act (OIA) reveal that NHNZ Productions had been embedded with the investigation for over a year. Mitchell stated that while police participation in documentaries is a standard practice to support factual reporting, the sensitivity of this case—particularly the welfare of young children—required a strict adherence to established protocols that may have been bypassed.

Breach of Protocol and Access to Active Crime Scenes

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has voiced his disappointment over specific aspects of the production’s management. While Chambers initially supported the project as a means to highlight police work, he stated that he was unaware the crew had been granted access to an active crime scene. "Had I known it was to happen, I would have stopped that," Chambers remarked, noting that such access is a significant departure from standard police media policy. The review will now scrutinize the decision-making process that allowed filmmakers into restricted operational areas without the Commissioner's prior knowledge.

Failure in Notification Priority

One of the most contentious revelations from the OIA documents is that the documentary team was informed of the events surrounding Tom Phillips' death ahead of both the general media and, crucially, Phillips’ own family. Commissioner Chambers described this lapse as a failure to serve the media and the public interest fairly. This breach of communication protocol has sparked significant internal concern, leading to a reassessment of how the police’s media and strategic communications department engages with private production companies during high-profile, ongoing operations.