Wow Ian #278, what a pompous A-hole you are. you mention twice that Ben Hana 'didn't get the help he deserved/needed' - if you were a little informed about the subject of your pious rant and people like him in similar situations, you would know that Ben did not want help, and not everyone needs to conform to your ideal of what's 'best' for everyone. One of the better analysis’ of him by someone who DID actually talk to him and obviously had a much more realistic slant than your glass-tower 'intellectual' ravings, is read at Mr #275. Most people who are a bit like Ben do not WANT your help, and do not picture themselves 'getting better' or suddenly raising up off the footpath to perhaps become mayor or Prime Minister. The fact that Ben was so well-recognised and supported in many ways by regular people, does actually indicate something better about the locals than the bitter self-hatred that you would have us believe of our own miserable lives. Speaking of a life, why don’t you get one?

You were a funny guy always happy and friendly..thanks for that time you had my back when I had no way home, you're in a better place now. <3

Ian #278 Don't forget that such people have been venerated since the dawn of organized society. He represented freedom - not being tied to possessions and all the busywork it takes to maintain them. It's the same story with so many of the "saints" in religious mythologies.

I hear you Ian...however wondering how many times did you cross the street to go out of your way to sit and talk with him, to ask the question weighing heavy on his heart, or to offer him (Blanket man) a feed or a hot shower? what did you personally do to connect with him/help him out?

what an idiot, how do you know he himself was maybe in love with his lifestyle.. loving life n living it to the fullest. he chose to be in wellington. he chose to be right among people. you choose to see only the bad in people and judge them. no one knows but you telling other people they are selfish in viewing the b man as a celebrity. idiot.

I hear you Ian...however wondering how many times did you cross the street to go out of your way to sit and talk with him, to ask the question weighing heavy on his heart, or to offer him (Blanket man) a feed or a hot shower? what did you personally do to connect with him/help him out?

Looking at the responses Mr Hana has inspired,it seems worth is not measured by wealth, despite attempts to make it otherwise.Without a fancy suit and a flash car, he made many of us think.Ian @ #278, you sound cynical, but at his own cost, he has left a legacy provoking conversations which do not revolve around money and accolades providing us with a necessary balance in today's climate.RIP Mr.Hana, you have made a difference.

Its amazing how people will romanticize something like this rather than facing the actual truth. He was not an inspiration to you, he merely made you feel better about yourself because he was less fortunate than you.

Some of the comments on here are quite sad really... some people bragging how they waved at him or nodded to him as if acknowledging his existence somehow made you a better person.

He was not some hero, some magnificent figure that we all aspire to be, he was a person who was left behind by society, someone who was not given the help he deserved. He led a sad lonely life wandering the city, barely getting enough food, and trying to get enough alcohol to forget his life.

He was a poor homeless man, who you as a society romanticized into a kind of celebrity rather than giving him the help he needed. Being homeless is not an aspirational choice it is rather an indication that everything has gone wrong in your life and you need help.

He will not be missed by you. Rather your romanticized idea of him will be, as that is all you care about to make yourselves feel better about your own lives.

"Blanket Man" the song. RIP Ben Hana, love from the boys from 'Say No to Tango'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmAxPxUOoGY&amp;feature=g-upl&amp;context=G2a6a7faAUAAAAAAAAAA

All this 'support' of him contributed to his sad lifestyle. Probably would have lived longer if rather than giving him money for alcohol and feeding his mental status of Wellingtons iconic homeless person, he might have moved into a flat or unit and got the help that needed. The counselling of people spilling out from bars would have been detrimental to his mental health.