Nearly a third of jury summons recipients don’t show up, highest rate in five years
One in three New Zealanders summoned for jury service in 2025 failed to respond or attend court, raising concerns about the system's viability.
New Zealand's jury system is facing growing challenges with non-compliance, as 31.5% of people summoned for jury service in 2025 did not respond or appear in court—the highest rate in five years and a dramatic increase from 13% in 2019. Barriers to participation include low remuneration rates that haven't increased since 2004, the financial burden on workers whose employers don't pay them during service, and the lack of enforcement of potential $1,000 fines. The system also struggles with representation, excluding automatic categories like barristers and judges, and those unable to afford unpaid time off, resulting in juries that don't reflect the community's diversity. Recent legal reforms, including raising the age threshold for automatic excusal from 65 to 72, aim to address shortfalls, but experts and officials say broader changes to remuneration and trial duration may be needed.
Covered byThe SpinoffNot covered byRNZStuffNZ Herald1NewsNewstalk ZBOtago Daily TimesNewsroomBusinessDeskinterest.co.nz
Coverage across the news outlets we track, as at publication.
What outlets are saying
The Spinoff
A third of people called for jury service last year didn’t show up. Is the system broken?
And many more were excused or had their service deferred. Shanti Mathias crunches the numbers to reveal the scale of the problem. Each year, more than 200,000 New Zealanders receive jury service letters. Their options are laid out before them:…