Most Hawke's Bay residents said they couldn't serve because of work obligations and thousands more opted out because they were older than 65. Personal circumstances and family commitments accounted for a large chunk of the excuses and 20 said they couldn't be on a jury because of their religious beliefs.
Napier barrister Jonathan Krebs said juries were supposed to be a representative sample of the community, so the high number of professionals skipping out was a real concern.
"Jury duty isn't onerous but it isn't to be taken lightly and people with education and people in the professions ... have a community experience behind them which would add well to the jury pool. And it's disturbing that these people think it's appropriate not to attend."
Enforcing penalties would encourage people to take their civic duty more seriously, he said.
"Something needs to be done to encourage those people who think it's okay not to attend to correct their thinking and realise it's an appropriate community service."
Last week the High Court quashed a 10-day jail sentence for a man who refused to sit on a jury. James David McAllister was found in contempt of court for refusing to take the oath or affirmation after being selected for a jury in Auckland District Court on July 10. His prison sentence was replaced with a $750 fine.
Judges can impose a $1000 fine on people who refuse to front for jury service, but the penalty has only been imposed once in 2007.
From October 2010 until June this year, 478,470 New Zealanders shirked jury duty nationwide. Of these, 101,916 had no legitimate reason while 100,643 deferred the service to a more convenient time. Business or job obligations was the most popular excuse, followed by being aged 65 or over.
Family commitments was another common reason for skipping jury service, as was health, physical disability, personal circumstances, and having served already in the last two years. However, the numbers appear to be dropping, with 145,605 dodging service last year compared with 199,662 in 2011.
District courts general manager Tony Fisher said the ministry had introduced two key changes to the jury system to improve attendance since 2010. Firstly, jury district boundaries were extended from 30km around each jury courthouse to 45km. Secondly, jurors could now postpone service to a more convenient time - rather than being excused outright. Jurors can also be excused if they have a criminal history, intellectual disability or "ineligible occupation". APNZ
