“Today, my Member’s Bill, which will raise the age of automatic excusal from jury duty from 65 to 72, was drawn from the biscuit tin,” Whanganui MP Carl Bates says.

“Under current legislation, the court registrar must excuse anyone over the age of 65 who has been summoned for jury service, if they request it. This bill would raise that age to 72 to help reduce back-office inefficiency.

“The reality is that New Zealanders are living and working longer. Jury service is an important part of our democracy, and this bill sends a message that we trust our seniors to engage in this civic duty.

“The bill will also reduce back-office bureaucracy for our court workers. Jury summonses are still sent to those over 65, but many request an automatic excusal. In fact, 47 per cent of excusals are granted because the would-be juror is over 65.

“Raising the automatic excusal age would significantly reduce the number of summonses that need to be sent overall and make it easier to fill our jury benches.

“I look forward to working collaboratively with my Parliamentary colleagues to pass this common-sense bill into law.”

View the bill here.

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