A number of police resources have been deployed to try and find Marokopa fugitive Tom Phillips' two missing children before it gets dark - after he was shot dead by an officer in the Waikato this morning.

A quad bike being ridden by him and one of his children was stopped by police spikes after a burglary in Piopio.

An approaching officer was then shot multiple times, including in the head, and is receiving surgery on his eye.

A second officer arrived at the scene and shot the gunman dead. 

Newstalk ZB reporter Jordan Dunn says the authorities will be conducting this search 'meticulously' and 'strategically', as there's a good chance the missing children aren't alone.

"They do say that there's a good chance they're alone, but the key there is that they're not making assumptions. They're going out there as if there is the possibility that they are being aided."

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