{{Authorities in New Zealand have told a South African chef he is too fat to be allowed to live in the country.}}<\/p>\n
Immigration officials said Albert Buitenhuis, who weighs 130kg (286 pounds), did not have “an acceptable standard of health”.<\/p>\n
He now faces expulsion despite shedding 30kg since he moved to the city of Christchurch six years ago<\/p>\n
New Zealand has one of the highest obesity rates in the developed world, with nearly 30% of people overweight.<\/p>\n
Mr Buitenhuis and his wife, Marthie, moved from South Africa to Christchurch in 2007. At the time, the chef weighed 160kg.<\/p>\n
Until now, their annual work visas had been renewed with “very little problem”, his wife said.<\/p>\n
“We applied year after year and there were no issues,” she said.<\/p>\n
“They never mentioned Albert’s weight or his health once and he was a lot heavier then.”<\/p>\n
But in early May, the couple was told their work visas had been declined because of Mr Buitenhuis’s weight.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
The couple has appealed to New Zealand’s immigration minister, citing the chef’s recent weight loss.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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