Hamilton Council has plans to introduce a bylaw with $20K fines for sleeping on park benches but it’s OK to sleep on the grass alongside. Funny, if it wasn’t so tragic for the homeless. Whakatane district councillors question why cemeteries, public toilets, animal control, liquor licenses and consents are not considered core services for councils in the Government (Systems Improvement) Amendment bill. Minister Simon Watts says the government is “refocusing” councils to prioritise essential services first, rather than nice-to-haves”. So much for toilets and cemeteries.