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Juries Act 1981

Jury lists and panels

14A: Restrictions on use of jury panel

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"Rules to Keep Jury Panel Information Safe"

Illustration for Juries Act 1981

You need to be careful with jury panel information. This is to keep jurors safe and secure. A lawyer can show the jury panel to their client. You can show the jury panel to a defendant or a party in a case. But you must not leave it with them. You must also stop them from copying it. When the case is finished, you must return the jury panel to the court. But the court can say you do not have to return it. If you break these rules, you might be in trouble under the Contempt of Court Act 2019. You must take care of the jury panel to protect jurors. This includes not leaving it with a witness or a victim. You must also stop them from copying it, as defined in the Victims’ Rights Act 2002. If you have a copy of the jury panel, you must give it back to the court when the case is finished. The court can decide if you need to return it or not. You must follow these rules to keep jurors safe.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM1782611.

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Crime and justice > Courts and legal help
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14AB: Inspection of protected particulars of jury list information excluded from panel, or

"Seeing secret jury information for a court case"

14ARestrictions on use of jury panel

  1. The purpose of this section is to help to prevent names or other information disclosed in a copy of the panel from being used to facilitate actions (for example, actions prejudicing a juror’s safety or security) to interfere with the performance of a juror’s duties.

  2. A barrister or solicitor to whom a copy of the panel is made available under section 14(1) because the barrister or solicitor is acting for a party to criminal proceedings, and any person acting on behalf of that barrister or solicitor,—

  3. may show the copy (the document) to a defendant in proceedings that are due to be heard during the week for which the jurors on the panel are summoned to attend for jury service; but
    1. must not leave the document in the defendant’s possession; and
      1. must not leave the document in the possession of any witness for either party; and
        1. must not leave the document in the possession of any victim (within the meaning of section 4 of the Victims’ Rights Act 2002); and
          1. must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the defendant, any witness, or any victim, as the case requires, does not copy the document.

            1. A barrister or solicitor to whom a copy of the panel is made available under section 14(1) because the barrister or solicitor is acting for a party to civil proceedings, and any person acting on behalf of that barrister or solicitor,—

            2. may show the copy or any copies of it (the document) to a party in proceedings that are due to be heard during the week for which the jurors on the panel are summoned to attend for jury service; but
              1. must not leave the document in the party’s possession; and
                1. must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the party does not copy the document.

                  1. Every person who, in connection with proceedings that are due to be heard during the week for which the jurors on the panel are summoned to attend for jury service, receives, or makes a copy or copies of, a copy of the panel must return the copy or copies to the Registrar or a member of the court registry staff as soon as practicable after the case is opened or the defendant is given in charge.

                  2. However, subsection (4) does not apply to—

                  3. the Registrar or a member of the court registry staff; and
                    1. any other person if the court or a Judge, in the court’s or Judge’s discretion and on a written application for the purpose, orders that the other person need not return the copy or copies.

                      1. A breach of subsection (2), (3), or (4) may be dealt with under subpart 2 of Part 2 of the Contempt of Court Act 2019.

                      Notes
                      • Section 14A: inserted, on , by section 10 of the Juries Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 40).
                      • Section 14A(4): amended, on , by section 7 of the Juries Amendment Act 2011 (2011 No 90).
                      • Section 14A(6): amended, on , by section 29 of the Contempt of Court Act 2019 (2019 No 44).