The race is on to track down the two missing children of Marokopa man Tom Phillips before the end of the day.

Phillips was shot dead earlier today by police, following a burglary in Waikato's Piopio.

Former police negotiator Lance Burdett says the fact they're children will make the hunt so much tougher for police. 

"They'll be panicking, probably,  and it's unpredictable. They won't stick to tracks and trails...so they could be all over the place."

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