After too few turned up on Tuesday morning, an effort was made by police to physically contact those summoned. But the following day only eight jurors had taken their seats in the box before the court ran out of people to call.
The trial judge, David Cameron, issued a warning to the community.
"I send a clear message to the Wanganui community that failing to attend jury service is totally unacceptable because the court can't function properly. Those who blatantly disregard their summons will be arrested and fined."
Judge Cameron said it was also unfair on the defendant and those who had turned up.
In 2013, of the 165,000 people summonsed nationally, 31,000 or 19 per cent failed to acknowledge their summons. And after taking away those who had their service deferred or excused, only 21 per cent actually attended.
Mr Rowe said if only half of those summonsed were turning up, a jury fairly reflecting the community was unlikely. There could be up to four trials in a week and it was getting tougher to empanel a jury beyond the first one, he said.
"I think there's a philosophical problem. I think people don't see it as so much as a irresponsibility but more and more as an inconvenience. I think that's pretty unfortunate."
Fundamentally it was about the community resolving its own problems, he said.
"Being in a community, you need to actually take responsibility for its problems."
Those who don't answer jury summonses can be fined $1000 but the Ministry of Justice says fewer than four have been fined in the last seven years.
"I don't think it's just enforcement," Mr Rowe said.
"It might actually be time for a bit of collective education where the importance of jury service or the role that it plays should be reinforced. I think there is a place for positive reinforcement about why we have jury service in the first place.
"Jury trials are a really good way of representing the community views about things and making a judgment as a community."
Many acknowledged the $62-a-day compensation could be a turn-off and the ministry should consider upping the payment for jurors.
Mr Rowe said while it would come out of the taxpayer pocket it could be offset by savings made by not having wasted trials and court days.
He said the abandoned trial in Wanganui last month was a "waste of public money for no result".
"People just need to step back and look at the bigger picture."
But while Justice Minister Amy Adams said jury service was valuable and vital, she was not convinced there was a wholesale issue with jurors not turning up. "There have been about four cases in the last two years where insufficient jury numbers ended up delaying the commencement of a scheduled case, so it's very rare."
Ms Adams was unable to comment on the Wanganui case.
She also questioned the need for public education when there was a "raft of information (available) both to jurors when they are summonsed and the general public which explains the importance of jury service".
In 2010 the Government made it compulsory for anyone within 45km of a court to attend, extending it from 30km. Jurors were also for the first time allowed to defer service.
Auckland University Faculty of Law Professor Warren Brookbanks said the jury system was important and depended on goodwill.
"It's a bigger problem if there's some sort of pattern emerging."
He agreed payment should be looked at if it would get more people to jury service.
"The jury system depends on goodwill and it's part of the democratic process, but people should not be disadvantaged serving the interests of the state."
But the right to a jury was important and should be made to work well.
"It's important because it provides an opportunity for ordinary members of the public to participate in the administration of our judicial system. It's a very democratic process."
-The Chronicle has asked for the jury attendance figures at Wanganui and will report these when they are made available.