Beggars less aggressive than Greenpeace marketers!

Stuff reports:

Tony from Turangi knows how to hustle a quick buck.

He makes up to $120 a day and is one of a small but growing number of beggars appearing on the streets of Petone.

Although  there have been a number of complaints about beggars, they are an elusive bunch and it takes seven or eight attempts to find Tony. …

One person who agreed with him, was Annabel White from Trade Aid. “I made one fellah a cup of tea and I made a new sign for him because he could not spell.”

The beggars had appeared over the last 18 months and she found they were less aggressive than Greenpeace direct marketers. Every beggar had a story and she believed in treating them with compassion.

I guess people are more likely to give to beggars than the multinational Greenpeace!

The beggars have three favourite spots including Mr Bun, where owner Ana Sor said they did not cause any problems.

A core group of six take turns in front of her shop. She believed they had a home to go to and were making a good living. “They come in and swap big notes for small coins. Sometimes they make $350 a day.”

She had offered them work but they preferred their current lifestyle.

$350 a day funds a pretty good lifestyle!