A man has been charged with causing the wasteful deployment of police personnel and resources in relation to the search and rescue operation in Waikato last month.
Police searched for weeks in September for Thomas Phillips and his three children. They eventually returned to their family after spending time in the bush.
The man will appear in the Te Kuiti District Court on November 5.
In announcing their return on September 30, Waikato West Area Commander Inspector Will Loughrin said the family had been living in a tent in a dense bush area. Phillips is an experienced bushman and was able to look after himself, Loughrin added.
"It is extraordinary," he said of the family returning home. "To happen this way is fantastic for the family. This is a family who experienced 17 days of hell."
Phillips' sister Rozzi Pethybridge told Newshub at the time that he "just walked in the door".
"As Dad said, 'I just hope he walks in,' and he has. This is the best-case scenario.
Before their return, Phillips and the children - aged eight, six and five - were last seen on September 11. Searches around inland and coastal areas of Marokopa and Kiritehere were eventually suspended, with no trace of the four found.
Phillips' family previously said he is familiar with the rugged terrain and well-equipped to survive in the bush, and Waitomo District Mayor John Robertson told The AM Show Phillips "knows the area very well".
