Canterbury rural south area response manager, Senior Sergeant Rachel Walker, said several people came forward on Wednesday morning to make a complaint about damage to their vehicles' tyres.
Walker said there are likely to be more victims who have not spoken to police yet.
A 15-year-old youth was arrested in relation to charges of intentional damage and was due to reappear in the Christchurch Youth Court.
"Thanks to timely information received from members of the public, police were able to make a quick arrest.
“This type of crime is senseless, and is a huge cost and inconvenience to people. We know it’s incredibly frustrating.
“We want to thank our community for being so vigilant and looking out for one another, and making sure information got to police.
“This is a great example of police and the public working closely together to keep our communities safe."
To report similar damage call 105 or report it to police online at www.police.govt.nz/use-105.
