Overweight South African Allowed To Stay in New Zealand

By Bill Doyle

A couple of months ago we had the story of Albert Buitenhuis a South African who was living in New Zealand on a work visa. The reason he was in the news is because immigration officials in New Zealand denied his application for a renewal of his visa. The reason: he was too fat; he weighed over 300 pounds when he first came to the country and got a visa, no problem. Immigration officials his increased risk of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes, among others. Since New Zealand has socialized medicine, Mr. Buitenhuis would be putting a strain on the healthcare system, so he was denied.

Well, now, he's gotten a reprieve. Yahoo! News is reporting that Buitenhuis has had his work visa renewal approved, with one big condition: he will not be eligible for any public healthcare for the duration of his visa. So now Buitenhuis, whose current weight is 286, can continue to work as a chef in New Zealand.