Katene Rahui: Juries (Jury Service and Protection of Particulars of Jury List Information) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Katene Rahui: Juries (Jury Service and Protection of Particulars of Jury List Information) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:671;Page:17974] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 The Maori Party is happy to support the Juries (Jury Service and Protection of Particulars of Jury List Information) Amendment Bill at its first reading. We see these reforms as part of a wider context in terms of the Government making it easier for people to carry out jury service. I was interested to hear from Mr Barker when he said that he has never had the opportunity to be on a jury. I think that could be for a number of reasons. One reason could be that he is not on the electoral role—I hope that is not the reason. The other reason could be that on the electoral role he has listed his profession and that would automatically disqualify him. The other reason could actually be that he is just unlucky in which case I would say to him to please not take out any tickets in Lotto. 
We all know that many people who are called up for jury service do not actually attend when asked to take part in this civic duty. I think the statistics are fairly conclusive on this point. In 2009 some 62 percent or close to 200000 people summoned for jury service were excused and a further 21 percent or 67938 failed to attend. It seems to me pretty straightforward that something needs to be done to ensure that a representative and inclusive jury service can be maintained. If we want to have a service that is about being judged by our peers then we really do need to have it right across all our peers whether they turn up in suits with briefcases or in jeans and T-shirts. We really do need to have people from right across the spectrum to serve on juries. 
This bill is intended to achieve a range of outcomes. It looks to improve privacy for potential jurors from the accused or the defendant; to strike the right balance between a juror’s right to privacy safety and security and a defendant’s right to a fair trail; and to improve administration of the jury system. 
The legislation is generally consistent with the Maori Party view to empower victims of crime. In this context it prevents the accused from gaining access to potential juror addresses. It creates a safer balance between jurors and the accused. The Maori Party also promotes a just and durable legal system and its efficient administration—as anticipated through the changes in this bill—is part of that. The Maori Party recognises that those who participate in jury service must be competent. We agree with the rationale that those who have offended in the previous 5 years and have been sentenced to home detention for 3 months or more should not be asked to serve on a jury for the specified period of time. We need to make it as easy as possible for people to take part in this important civic duty and for all New Zealanders to be judged by juries that represent the broadest range of our people. 
Finally I emphasise our strong support for the legislative change to prevent the accused from ever seeing potential jurors’ addresses. We cannot tolerate any possibility of a justice system that leaves people more vulnerable. We welcome the move to prohibit the defence lawyer or court-appointed adviser from showing the addresses to the accused. We also support the proposed change to section 14A(6) of the Juries Act which makes it clear that misconduct in relation to jury lists may be treated as contempt of court. We are happy to support this bill at this its first reading.