Cash-soliciting monks in Queen St

A monk dressed in Nike shoes looks for donations. Picture / Nick Reed

Questions surround people dressed as Buddhist monks who are targeting tourists and shoppers in Queen St to solicit cash donations for a Thai temple.

An Auckland Thai temple says it is against the rules for Buddhist monks and nuns to ask for donations, and questions the monks' activities.

At least three were spotted during the busy lunch hour yesterday, one wearing Nike sports shoes, and another a branded watch.

A monk offered this Herald reporter a Buddha image and a prayer-bead wristband, then asked for donations - first to "cover the cost" of the items, then seeking larger sums for the Thai temple.

He flipped open a notebook showing people had donated sums of between $5 and $200 to the cause.

"Donate more and you get more blessing and peace from Buddha," said the monk in Nike shoes.

He would not give his name or say which temple he was from. He said he had just arrived from Thailand and also needed money to help cover the cost of his air ticket.

After the reporter identified himself, the monk claimed he spoke no English and began chanting and walked away.

A woman said one of the monks followed her into a Queen St shop and asked her to get "cash out" from her Eftpos card after she told him that she had no cash.

"I felt pressured into giving him $10 just to go away."

Chavaritch Mounlath, spokesman for the Thai Watyarnprateep Buddhist Temple in Kelston, confirmed that the temple was not seeking any public donations.

"They are definitely not Thai monks. The type of robe they are wearing is more Chinese, and you don't see monks wearing Nike and jeans under their robes," Mr Mounlath said. "We would advise people against donating anything to them because they could be imposters, and what they're doing is basically wrong."

Mr Mounlath said that if the monks were from Thailand, their eyebrows would have been shaved.

It was also against monastic rules for monks to solicit or beg for money, he said.

"Monks do go out with alms bowls, but they do not ask for things, and what they get must have been given willingly," he said.

"They would never ask for cash from strangers, or sell prayer beads and religious items in this way."

Yesterday, a spokesman for the Auckland Council said city officials were aware of a monk operating in Queen St.

"Council staff have observed the monk giving away literature and beads, for which he doesn't ask payment. As this is for religious reasons he does not require a permit under the current Street Trading Bylaw," he said.

"Council's City Watch staff have received three complaints about him asking for donations over recent weeks, but this was done in a passive way and was not a breach. Harassment was not mentioned."

In March, a man in monk's robes was issued with a police warning for his behaviour in soliciting donations in Auckland and Wellington.

Officers said it appeared unlikely that he was collecting donations for religious purposes.

According to police, that man was a Chinese national who had spent time in Australia.

Last year, the Buddhist Council of NSW warned against bogus monks preying on tourists in Sydney.