Is $62 a day for jurors unfair?

Financial hardship is no excuse for skipping jury duty, Justice Minister Amy Adams says.

However, she has declared she is ‘‘open’’ to considering an increase in the attendance fees paid to jurors as these have not changed since 2004.

Jurors receive an attendance fee of $31 for each half-day served for the first five days of a trial. That goes up to $40 for each halfday thereafter.

Extra payments for transport and childcare are available, but for many the attendance fee is far lower than they would earn as part of their regular salary or wage.

Many employers chose to make arrangements to ensure staff are not out of pocket while on jury duty, but there is no legal obligation to do so unless it is part of an employment agreement.

‘‘Attendance fees are to thank jurors for their service,’’ Adams said. ‘‘They are not meant to replace wages or salary, as jury service is part of our civic contribution.

‘‘The level of remediation for jurors will mean different things to different jurors, depending on their financial situation.’’

In special circumstances, a court registrar can consider paying a higher attendance fee on a case-by-case basis, according to Ministry of Justice spokeswoman Grace Smit.

‘‘An increased payment could be made where an applicant can show that they will be unable to cover their regular outgoings.’’

Victoria University associate professor of law Yvette Tinsley said serving on a jury could have financial implications, particularly for the self-employed.

‘‘They’ve not got an employer able to step into the breach. If they’re away from a small business for the time they’re on jury service, they’re just not making money.

‘‘I don’t think, personally, that people should be losing out financially by serving on a jury.

‘‘I think if we’re asking people to do their civic duty, we should be trying to ensure there is as little disruption as possible,’’ Tinsley added.

Ministry figures released under the Official Information Act show the number of jury duty deferrals approved in Wellington and nationwide have dropped.

In 2014-15, 4234 people were granted deferrals from jury service in Wellington, but that figure fell to 3301 in 2016-17.

The trend mirrored national figures, which showed 35,188 deferrals were granted in 2014-15 compared with 32,563 in 2016-17.

Legislative changes introduced in 2010 were brought in to improve jury attendance.

Measures included extending the district boundaries to increase the jury pool, and allowing people to defer their service for up to a year.

The most common reason for deferral was ‘‘occupation/business’’, while the most common grounds for exclusion was that the potential juror was aged 65 or over.

Anyone failing to front up for jury duty risks a fine of up to $1000, though the ministry admitted ‘‘it is rarely used’’.

"The level of remediation for jurors will mean different things to different jurors, depending on their financial situation."

Justice Minister Amy Adams