Key points
- Trend shift: After a sharp rise post-COVID, most intermediate and middle schools report declines over the past two years.
- On-campus response: At the peak, a vape monitoring device was installed; circa 2023, principals coordinated a joint response.
- Current scale: This year the school is dealing with only about three to four students, all repeat offenders.
- Responsibility & law: Gibbs says families bear primary responsibility and supports tighter rules on availability, product types, and retailer proximity to schools.
- Context: Comments were made to The News after the Cambridge Friendly Forum hosted by Taupō MP Louise Upston.
2Firsts, September 11, 2025 — According to The News, Daryl Gibbs, principal of Cambridge Middle School and president of the New Zealand Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools, said that while student vaping surged after COVID-19, most schools have seen a clear drop over the past two years.
Gibbs recalled that at the height of the problem the school installed a vape monitor in one of the toilet blocks and, around 2023, worked with other principals to find solutions. He noted two possibilities for today’s situation: “Either students are getting better at hiding it, or there is genuinely less vaping.” This year, the school has dealt with only about three to four students, all of whom are repeat offenders.
On policy and prevention, Gibbs agreed with MP Louise Upston that families have the primary responsibility for restricting youth vaping. He also backed Cambridge Community Board chair Jo Davies-Colley’s call to tighten legislation on product availability, device types, and retailer distance from schools.
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