Every year, thousands of New Zealanders give their time to serve on juries in the High and District Courts. Jury service is an important way you contribute to your country and your local community. Jurors help make sure the justice system is fair for all New Zealanders.

What’s a jury?

A jury is a group of 12 people from the community, randomly selected from the Electoral Roll. They hear the evidence of a case, decide on the facts and then reach a verdict – guilty or not guilty.

Why have I received a jury summons?

If you’re enrolled to vote, you can be randomly selected (‘summoned’) for jury service.

If you’re summoned, you’ll get a letter and a form that tells you to come to court for jury service. The letter will tell you the date, time and the court you should come to. You’ll need to send the form back to the court.

You must come to court, unless you get a letter or email from the court before the court date telling you that you’ve been excused.

Even though you’ve been summoned, it doesn’t mean you’ll be selected to serve on a jury.

Watch videos about what you can expect from jury service(external link)

 
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