Cambridge Middle School principal Daryl Gibbs has backed a call to tighten legislation around vaping but says his and many other intermediate-level schools had noticed a significant drop in vaping by students over the past two years.
Vaping. Photo: Connor Danylenko from Pexels.
Gibbs told The News after last week’s Cambridge Friendly Forum hosted by Taupō MP Louise Upston that that in his capacity as president of the New Zealand Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools he was familiar with the issue in schools across the country. There had been a massive increase in vaping following Covid, but most schools have reported a drop-off.
Daryl Gibbs
He said when at its worst, his school had adopted strategies to counter the problem. One was the installation of a vape monitoring device in one of the toilet blocks, and around 2023, principals got together to find a way to resolve the issue.
He attributed the drop-off to one of two things.
“Either the kids are getting better at hiding it, or there is noticeably less vaping going on. This year we are only dealing with about three or four kids and they are repeat offenders.”
Gibbs agreed with Upston’s comment that families bear the primary responsibility around restricting vaping in their children and said Cambridge Community Board chair Jo Davies-Colley’s call to toughen legislation around availability and types of vapes, and proximity to schools, was valid.
