The 750-strong surge in numbers equals the entire number of competitors in the very first AIMS Games, held in 2004. Among the 17 sporting codes represented will be 90 netball teams, 62 hockey teams, 79 football teams and more than 500 cross country runners. Table tennis also makes a debut this year, attracting 59 entries from 15 schools.
Several sports have been over-subscribed, with organisers having to limit entries in sports like hockey and tennis, where turf and court access is at a premium.
Once again, big schools like Tauranga Intermediate and Auckland's Northcross and Murrays Bay Intermediates have the largest team numbers but it's the interest from the smaller schools which continues to amaze Semple.
"We have 65 new schools taking part this year, many of them from passionate little sporting outposts like Auroa School in South Taranaki, Tolaga Bay Area School on the East Coast and St Joseph's Te Kuiti - they're little heartland schools with keen kids who are desperate to show they can foot it with anyone else their age in the country."