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Authorities in New Zealand have told a South African chef he is too fat to be allowed to live in the country.

Immigration officials said Albert Buitenhuis, who weighs 130kg (286 pounds), did not have "an acceptable standard of health".

He now faces expulsion despite shedding 30kg since he moved to the city of Christchurch six years ago.

New Zealand has one of the highest obesity rates in the developed world, with nearly 30% of people overweight.

Mr Buitenhuis and his wife, Marthie, moved from South Africa to Christchurch in 2007. At the time, the chef weighed 160kg.

Until now, their annual work visas had been renewed with "very little problem", his wife said.

"We applied year after year and there were no issues," she said.

"They never mentioned Albert's weight or his health once and he was a lot heavier then."

But in early May, the couple was told their work visas had been declined because of Mr Buitenhuis's weight.

"The irony is that at the moment he weighs less than when we first arrived in New Zealand and also less than in his first medical, which was accepted by [immigration authorities]," his wife said.

The couple has appealed to New Zealand's immigration minister, citing the chef's recent weight loss.

An immigration spokesman said Mr Buitenhuis's application had been rejected because his obesity put him at "significant risk" of complications including diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

"It is important that all migrants have an acceptable standard of health to minimise costs and demands on New Zealand's health services," he said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23475583

He's south african y does he need a NZ which sucks , SA is very rich

Lmao this is news to, and I live in nz haha too funny

Is there a law in NZ that prohibits fat people from entering the country? I have heard this kind of ridiculousness about NZ before.

That's bullshit. They're known to vehemently hate black immigrants (or blacks in general). If there was a white immigrant of the same weight, they would accept him, no questions asked. Racist bullshit.

DD,
when you look at the NZ immigration's perspective on the matter, which is that this obese man has a risk of developing the list illnesses that comes with being obese and so when he gets his permenant resident he will be a life time burden on the country's tax payers to look after his health needs which could cost potentially way way more than the amount of tax he pays, that is if he is working.

"The irony is that at the moment he weighs less than when we first arrived in New Zealand and also less than in his first medical, which was accepted by [immigration authorities]," his wife said.

I have to admit this is really unfair. They should encourage him to lose weight but expelling him coz of his weight is just atrocious.

Faraaxoos, how do they deal with their obese citizens? I am sure there are people who weigh more than him.

i think it is the second fattest nation in the world, so you could imagine why they would wanna put measures in place to kerb more obese people coming to the country. Dont underestimate the health services these people require, general hospital services, state funded medicine, physio (some of them will require physio), psychologist, etc.