Every year, thousands of New Zealanders give their time to serve on juries. 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.

Most people on the New Zealand electoral roll can be randomly selected for jury service. You can be selected (or summoned) for jury service every 2 years.

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

• What jury service involves

  Find out what to expect when you get to court and what happens during and after a trial.

• If you can’t attend jury service

  Find out what to do if you can’t do jury service.

• Find jury service forms

  Find the forms you need to respond to your jury summons or to ask the court to pay some of the costs of attending jury service.

• What you get paid

  Find out what you get paid when you take part in jury service, and what expenses you can ask the court to pay for.

• What employers need to know

  Find out what you need to know if one of your staff has been summoned for jury service.

• Who can’t be a juror

  Find out who can’t serve on a jury.

• Check if you need to attend jury service today or tomorrow

  If you're a juror, you can come here to check if your services will be required today or tomorrow.

• Disability support

  Disabilities are not necessarily a barrier to serving on a jury. Contact us ahead of time so we can arrange for support.

Watch videos about being a juror

Members of the public have advised the Ministry of Justice that they have received suspicious emails in relation to Juror service. The emails ask customers to click a link to read and accept a Jury summons.

This page was last updated: 1st March 2021