Hunger and despair is a universal language. I would fumble for my travel wallet - hidden under layers of clothing - even though I was told by the local who was guiding our crew that giving beggars money only encouraged them and that they were shiftless and lazy. Now we have beggars in just about every town and city in New Zealand and the criticisms of them are the same as they were for the Roman beggars.
Twenty-five years ago, when Ponsonby was transforming from a suburb of solo mums and halfway houses into a real estate nirvana, there were a number of street people.
But they weren't beggars. They were men and women with mental health issues, who would walk up and down Ponsonby Rd and if they were offered a cigarette or a cup of coffee or the occasional $5, wouldn't say no.
There was nothing intimidating about them. And people moving into the area realised these troubled souls had been there first and there was a duty of care towards them.
Then there are the homeless - and not all homeless people are beggars and not all beggars are homeless. I met a number of guys who lived rough when I had a dog. They would be sitting in the sun, having beersies for elevensies and would always offer me a cold one as I strode around the park.
"Come and sit down," they'd say. "Everyone's in such a rush. Just sit and have a beer and chill." I was tempted more than once to take them up on their invitation.
As I get older, I'm beginning to think that sitting on a park bench, letting the sun warm your face and doing precisely nothing is an infinitely more preferable notion to whizzing around town, chasing my tail, to pay an exorbitant mortgage.
The homeless guys I met weren't beggars. They weren't looking for anything other than a bit of a chat.
So the issue of begging is complicated. Auckland Council has made a pledge to remove beggars from the city streets by 2020.
And Christchurch City councillors are looking to introduce a bylaw that would allow police to move beggars away from the inner city. One councillor said Cantabs didn't want to see a shiny new city rising out of the rubble to be blighted by the existence of indigents on the streets.
The frustrations of Christchurch business owners will be familiar to many Auckland retailers. Having intimidating individuals lurking near the entrance of shops pestering people for money is not conducive to foot traffic.
And then there are the hygiene issues - when you have someone camping outside your shop for the night, they might be gone by the morning, but the smell of their urine - and worse - lingers long after they have moved on.
According to the beggars interviewed in Christchurch, you get pretty good money just sitting on a footpath, looking woebegone.
You can pull in anything between $5 and $100 a day, apparently, and that would make a huge difference when it comes to topping up a benefit.
Auckland police have urged members of the public not to give beggars money - instead, they should be referring them to agencies like Lifewise and the City Mission.
And that is the most likely solution to the problem of beggars - if the money dries up, they'll have to supplement their income somehow.
But a lot of us will throw a few bucks into begging bowls to ward off bad luck. A "there but for the grace of God go I" kind of sentiment.
And there's no doubt a lot of people are doing it tough. Social agencies should be working with every single man and woman to find out why they're on the streets and to help lift them up - literally and metaphorically.
I find it hard to believe that when they were young they dreamed of begging.
And they don't deserve to be swept off the streets like just another pile of rubbish.
• Kerre McIvor is on Newstalk ZB, Monday-Thursday 8pm-midnight
