 However, as it also served a relatively low socio-economic area of industrial southeast Christchurch, and promoted sporting achievement alongside academic achievement, the school gained a reputation for being "rough".Following the introduction of the 1989 Tomorrow's Schools policy, the role declined from about 1500, in 1990, to 775, in 2000.Much of this decline was attributed to the relaxation of school zoning restrictions and the resulting "white flight" by affluent families within the large south-eastern Christchurch catchment area sending their children to higher decile schools, that had a better academic reputation.