KEY POINTS:
Tens of thousands of New Zealanders are shirking jury service. Fewer than two in 10 people are turning up to perform their civic duty.
That figure has been worse at the country's busiest district court in recent weeks - only one in 10 people called has bothered to show.
Jury dodgers will face harsher penalties under plans to halt the decline in jury service attendance.
The fine for not attending court will rise from $300 to $1000, but people will be allowed to defer their service to another date within a year.
Ministry of Justice figures show 17.4 per cent of people summoned last year attended, down from 18.2 per cent four years ago.
Almost two-thirds of people - 206,599 - were excused, mainly because of work commitments. Another 61,880 did not acknowledge their summons.
Aucklanders have the worst record of attendance - 13 per cent at the District Court and 11 per cent at the High Court. Those figures have been even lower in recent weeks.
The District Court had 134 potential jurors from 1452 summonses sent out for the week beginning May 7.
Of the rest, 995 were excused and 323 stayed away without permission.
The Government plans to increase payments to jurors to make the task more attractive but could not say yesterday how much the rates would rise.
The proposed law will make it an offence for employers to threaten to dismiss workers for serving on a jury.
But they will still have the option of not paying staff who take time off.
The Employers and Manufacturers Association said employers generally supported jury service but dealt with it in different ways.
Some staff took unpaid leave and kept their juror payments; others took paid annual leave and gave the payments to their employer.
The association said the Government could improve jury attendance by increasing payments to jurors and consider subsidising companies in cases where employees were off work for long trials.
EMA employment services manager David Lowe believed employers and workers collaborated to evade jury service - employees because they did not want to lose money and employers because they did not want to lose productivity.
The Ministry of Justice says that despite the low response it gets enough people to meet trial needs.
"Court staff are aware of attendance rates, and summon enough people to ensure there is a large enough sample from which to randomly select 12 jurors to sit on a jury," said the ministry's general manager of district courts, Tony Fisher.
The Government's proposed juror fees increase is in the Criminal Procedure Bill, due for its final reading in Parliament.
It will also spread the net for potential jurors by increasing "jury districts" from 30km to 45km around a court house.
Criminal Bar Association president Graeme Newell said the court system worked with the current attendance rate, but the potential jury pool could create problems when a trial had several defendants.
"You run into problems when you have long trials of multiple accused ... and there have been occasions when trials have been put off because insufficient jurors attended."
Trials were rarely delayed because of insufficient juror numbers, but it had happened.
"I do recall one or two where they had to put it off for several days to get enough jurors there."
He said people today had "a far greater number of reasons not to want to sit on juries".
"There seems to be more people obtaining qualifications, who have got exams. There seem to be more people who have contractual obligations."
Professional people, management and the self-employed were very reluctant to sit on a jury.
"You see the more responsible, older section of the community who feel responsible and have the time. You probably get an older pool combined with a much younger pool of people who also have the time."
What jurors earn
Daily for the first five days:
* $31 for up to three hours at court before returning to work for a full day.
* $62 for up to three hours but not returning to work.
* $89 for more than three hours but finishing before 9pm.
* $127 for more than three hours and finishing after 9pm.
Daily after the fifth day:
* $40 for up to three hours then returning to work.
* $80 for up to three hours and not returning to work.
* $114 for more than three hours but finishing before 9pm.
* $163 for more than three hours and finishing after 9pm.
Expenses
* Full reimbursement of public transport fares; 38c a kilometre for a car if the distance travelled is over 3km.
* Car parking is also met and childcare costs can be paid
What the Weekend Herald jury thinks
'Would you do jury service if called upon in real life? If you have done it in the past would you do it again?'
Robert Khan, 36, radio station manager, Auckland
'Our precious democracy is based on shared responsibility and we should be honoured to be part of judicial process.'
Answer : YES
Brian Gubb, 65, lawyer, Auckland
'I would if I could but as a lawyer I'm excluded.'
Answer : YES
Chang Hung, 22, radio DJ Ponsonby
'I'll know what it feels like to spend taxpayers' money.'
Answer : YES
Audrey Evans, 78, retired, Auckland
'Too old now, I would have done it when I was young.'
Answer : NO
Beryl Bourn, 65, retired, Takapuna
'I have never done it in the past. But I would do it for the experience [and] it is our duty.'
Answer: YES
Elliott Johnston, 27, operations manager, Devonport
'I would do my duty if called upon. And I've watched enough TV law shows to know what happens in a court case.'
Answer: YES
Adrienne Gin, 23, Pharma sales rep, Arch Hill
'The justice system's inability to create a "jury of peers" undermines the intention of the system.'
Answer: YES
Annika Butcher, 22, office administrator, Browns Bay
'It's part of our rights and responsibilities as citizens, it's part of how society operates and has operated forever.'
Answer: YES
Mike Mee, 47, medical sales and marketing, Remuera
'I've been excused duty a few times. A flaw in the jury system is that it is very easy for business people, professionals and self-employed to be excused.'
Answer: YES AND MAYBE.
Glenn Forsyth, 38, exporter, Tauranga
'People seem busy these days and it would cause inconvenience to most. But I think it is important to have a good cross-section of the general public to make up the jury for crimes and what have you.'
Answer: YES
Ryan Bond, 24, student, Howick, Auckland
'I have done it and yes I would do it again as long as it didn't interfere with what was going on in my life.'
Answer: YES
Ngarangi Walker, 29, communications officer, Hamilton
'Only because I have never done it - I have never received a letter.'
Answer: YES
