One wonders what it takes to be a legitimate beggar on these shores.
A robust welfare state and armies of salvation on the ground apparently means no one here can justifiably solicit extra cash.
Thing is, to dismiss the act of begging as an organised ruse, as is Napier City Council, is rather graceless.
Napier city councillor Tania Wright wrote an opinion piece on the issue this week that deserved to be headlined "Let them eat cake".
To the councillor, it was "not a good look for a city that once prided itself as a clean, safe, tourist destination ... there is reason to believe they [rabble] are co-ordinated, managed and playing on your generosity ... the other group are homeless and using the money you give them to feed addictions".