The Law Commission says changes to the legal system will reduce the number of people being excused from jury duty.
Figures obtained by Radio New Zealand show 4734 people were excused from jury service because of financial reasons in 2008.
Law Commission deputy president Dr Warren Young says judges can now order a trial by judge alone in cases where a trial will be longer than four weeks.
He says another pending change will mean that, instead of being excused, jurors may be required to defer their jury service to a time that's more convenient to them in the following 12 months.
