It's been suggested that the New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) could be the ones to find Tom Phillips and his three children in Marokopa - but one expert has voiced disapproval about the optics.

The four were recently filmed walking through the bush by pig hunters - the first sighting of them together since December 2021.

Barrister and military lawyer Grant Fletcher says within the Commonwealth legal system, there are tight restrictions on when armed forces can be used to help the Government internally.

"Obviously, there is a slightly murky area between what is a public service and what is a law enforcement role - and I think what's going to affect the decision makers in relation to this is that this is really stepping into a law enforcement role. Which is not the job of the military."

LISTEN ABOVE

• 'Recipe for disaster': Can SAS hunt fugitive Tom Phillips - or use 'deadly force'
• Missing Marokopa family: Daughters reveal family’s ‘daily torment’ as search continues
• Former SAS tracker says soldiers could find Tom Phillips within two weeks
• 'Just pawns in his game': Mother of missing Marokopa kids speaks about the 'loss of my babies'
• 'They’re all alive': Mum relieved after seeing kids missing for nearly 3 yrs in new video
• Watch: Fugitive Tom Phillips and three children filmed in bush with large packs