A Canterbury High School has thrown out restrictions around genders as more and more of its students identify as gender neutral or non-binary.
Recent international research shows around 10 percent of youth now identify as gender diverse or non binary and Lincoln High School has stopped appointing a head boy or head girl.
Lincoln High School is on the edge of Christchurch and on the edge of progressive social policies.
"The first big change was to our school uniform which we made gender neutral," Lincoln High School Principal Kathy Patterson says.
They've ditched the head boy and head girl titles because they say leadership shouldn't be about gender.
"We moved to getting a team of head students together, it didn't matter what gender they were, it was just the right people for the job," Patterson says.
"Just because you're a male or female, doesn't mean you get the role; you get the role because you have the right skills," school leader Lucy Barrowclough says.
As more gender fluid students enrolled in the school, they enlisted the help of Qtopia - an organisation to support rainbow youth.
"The advice to all schools is really around better understanding and inclusion of rainbow identities and create environment that is welcoming," Qtopia co-founder Jennifer Shields says.
Students say the school's policies have been fantastic for the culture and mental health of some students.
"I do think there's been an increase of group of people not identifying as a certain gender and I think it's because we're creating a safer space," Barrowclough says.
"Everyone will feel safe and represented and welcome. So that's really important," school leader Yaksh Yadav says.
Ten year old data shows conservatively 4 percent of New Zealand youth now identify as non-binary or gender diverse, but more recent international research puts it at around 10 percent.
"They're in every school across the country and they're such an important environment to spend time in and we know what a positive impact it has on their wellbeing for those environments to acknowledge who they are," Shields says.
In another act of modernisation the school has also relaxed its rules on facial hair and piercings.
