UPDATED: 7.01AM Wellington city councillors want to look at another way of giving money to beggars, after opting not to ban begging in the capital.

The council will look at bringing in kindness meters, where people donate to receptacles around the city instead of beggars themselves.

Councillor Jo Coughlan said old post boxes could do the trick.

"We could perhaps do some work to find a bit more of a creative, meaningful solution there for an interesting initiative that would be befitting of the creative capital," she said.

It's similar to the failed Alternative Giving campaign, which discouraged giving to people on the street.

Councillor Sarah Free said it's just another way of helping.

"There is that need to be seen to be responding to something that we see, which is often quite heart-wrenching and tragic, and yet maybe it's not the best thing to do to actually give directly to that person."

Auckland Council said it's been following with interest developments in both Wellington and Christchurch.

Councillor George Wood said at the moment they're approaching it from the point of view as to how we can help these people.

"We've talked about increasing the penalty in the bylaw and that may be something we'll do in the future but at the moment, we are certainly working closely with how we can improve the overall situation."

Mr Wood believes there has been some improvement in recent times. 

He said some of these people need sympathy and help others are treating it as a business.

"I think that these people who are begging, sleeping on the streets and window washing, they are very crafting, cunning people some of them and they're doing very well out of it."