Obese South African 'too Fat' For New Zealand

[gobbledonk]

Surely a nightmare that would haunt quiet a few Farang retirees in Thailand .... this guy appears to have a history of poor choices, moving to Christchurch a few years before the first big quake.

 

 

http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/18168915/obese-south-african-too-fat-for-new-zealand/

WELLINGTON (AFP) - An obese South African man has been told he is too fat to live in New Zealand despite shedding 30 kilograms since he moved to the country six years ago, a report said on Saturday.

Albert Buitenhuis -- who now weighs 130 kilograms (286 pounds) -- and his wife, Marthie, said they face deportation after an application to renew their work visas was rejected because of his weight.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) cited the demands his obesity could place on New Zealand health services and said their medical assessors deemed Albert no longer "had an acceptable standard of health".

The couple said they moved from South Africa to the main South Island city of Christchurch six years ago when Albert weighed 160 kilograms and their annual work visas were renewed without any problem.

"We applied for year after year and there were no issues. They never mentioned Albert's weight or his health once and he was a lot heavier then," Marthie told The Press newspaper.

"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 INZ."

An INZ spokesman said Buitenhuis was rejected because his obesity put him at "significant risk" of complications including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and obstructive sleep apnoea.

"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.

A recent OECD report listed New Zealand as the third most obese developed nation behind the United States and Mexico.

[Flashermac]

He should move to Samoa.

[passingthru69]

Well I would be screwed if I wanted to go there to live and work.

I weigh 286 pounds.

[Coss]

Gentlefolk, I can tell you this as a Kiwi born and bred, if Albert was an Alberta or a Bertha, there would be no problem.

 

NZ has got very anti man. Man Ban

 

It should be noted that The Labour Party in NZ, is one of only two political parties to win elections and govern NZ (the other is National). So they are not some small idiotic bunch from the left, they are some huge idiotic bunch from the left.

[Flashermac]

'Too fat' chef Albert Buitenhuis in NZ visa reprieve

 

 

A South African man facing deportation from New Zealand for being too fat has been given a 23-month reprieve.

 

However, Albert Buitenhuis will not be allowed any publicly-funded healthcare, a government official said.

 

The chef, who weighs 130kg (20st 6lb), appealed two months ago after his work visa renewal application was rejected on the grounds he did not have "an acceptable standard of health".

 

He has shed 30kg since he moved to the city of Christchurch six years ago.

 

Associate Immigration Minister Nikki Kaye said the main reason Mr Buitenhuis's application had been declined was due to the osteoarthritis in his knee.

 

However, she granted Mr Buitenhuis and his wife, Marthie, visa extensions but said he would "have to meet any health costs himself".

 

Mr Buitenhuis, who wrote about his experiences in a blog called The Too Fat Chef, told local media that the government's decision was "bitter sweet".

 

"Of course, we are pleased and relieved that we are now able to stay. But at the same time we would rather rewind so that none of this took place," he said in an interview with Fairfax media.

 

"We are really starting from scratch again. We have lost thousands of dollars fighting this and we don't know where we will live because our home is gone. I am glad the fight is over but I am still afraid of what lies ahead."

 

Mr Buitenhuis, who is 1.78m tall, said he aims to lose another 25kg over the next few months.

 

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

 

The immigration department has said it is important that "all migrants have an acceptable standard of health to minimise costs and demands on New Zealand's health services".

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24015123

[Coss]

I reiterate, if this was a person of female gender in NZ, this would not be happening.

[Mekong]

I am in favour of the stance taken by NZ government, why should the health care system be expected to pick up the bill on an immigrant?

 

This is one of my pet peeves about my own country the UK, they allow anyone in from an EU Nation and give them free health care, and to make matters worse if they are Pregnant and arrive in the UK to give birth they are then still entitled to state Child Benefit for 3 years after they bugger off back home. And it's not just EU countries either also commonwealth countries and they expect me to pay my taxes and social security funds to finance that? No wonder I'm an expat.

 

Some may consider me a hypocrite and point out "But Mekong are you not also an immigrant in Thailand" well of course I am, but I pay my own way. I have my own health insurance to pay for my healthcare not put a drain on local resources, no entitlement to any form of support from the welfare state and every 12 months when I apply for extension to stay I have to show sufficient funds in a bank account.

 

I am OK with that, yes you are welcome to stay just as long as you can demonstrate self sufficiency, if my own country applied the same stringent rules I may consider going back but as it stands now where it seems half the planet can stroll in and start claiming benefits from day one I am better off where I am.

 

OK Rant over.

[SpiceMan]

Thai wives in UK have no claim to benefits for the first 5 years now, not even child benefit when the father is a Brit.

[baa99]

I am in favour of the stance taken by NZ government, why should the health care system be expected to pick up the bill on an immigrant?

 

...

 

... because the immigrant is working and paying NZ taxes! The guy was already obese when the NZ government granted him a visa! I say that is certainly 2-faced.

[Mekong]

Thailand is not part of the EU or the Commonwealth though is it, I did say half the world not all of it.

 

Even more reason for me to stay away, if I come back with my wife she has no entitlement for 5 years yet anyone from Eastern Europe, which is expanding even further 2014, or the Sub Continent can walk in and claim benefits straight away and they expect me to pay for that. For the record I did work back in UK earlier this year for a few months and thought "Sod this for a game of Soldiers" and beat a hasty retreat.

 

As this survey shows http://rt.com/news/brain-drain-britain-immigration-546/ anyone given half the chance wants out of the UK, and it is the educated middle to upper levels of people who have a better chance of making a new life as an expatriate only to be replaced by lowered skilled immigrants which equates to lower income thereby less income for the government to be able to support the NHS and welfare state and the ever downward spiral.

 

This situation has also made the UK very uncompetitive in the global markets in my field which happens to be Engineering. Why issue a multi billion dollar contract to a UK company when a Korean or Singaporean company can underbid by 10-15% and employ the same Engineers overseas on an expat package thereby keeping the same skill set. Even if a UK company did get the contract you can guarantee that 80% of the work will be outsourced to their overseas offices in my case it has been Mumbai India and has been for the past 10 years.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am still proud of my home country whenever I hear the opening lines of Blake's "Milton a Poem", better know as Jerusalem by Hubert Parry when set to music, I come out in goosebumps and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, I did grow up surrounded by dark satanic mills but England today has gone to the dogs and I just keep the passport thank you very much.

 

No, I am not a radical or an anarchist just a free thinking adult who realised that "There has to be more than this" as my link shows even he home office own figures admit that over 3.5 Million people have left the UK in the last decade alone over 6.5% chose to be expats the majority of which are of employable age say 25-50 so basically 1 in 5 Brits of that age band have chosen to leave.