Woman banned from New Zealand because she is too fat

[AB Asks]

A British woman and her husband were excited to be starting a new life together in New Zealand. She however, has been forced to remain at home because she has been told she is too fat and is a potential burden on their healthcare system. What do you think? Does New Zealand have the right idea?

[Jillius]

It depends on whether or not she has lots of problems caused by her obesity. I am overweight but I never go to the doctors. Whereas i know someone who is very overweight and she is at the surgery every day with various complaints!

[Booldawg]

I'd have thought that denying entry to people who could be seen as a potential burden on any of the free facilites in a country is 'the right idea'. Why make things difficult for yourself?

[ELVIS68]

Did the husband still go though?

[Reverandfunk]

If those are the rules those are the rules, NZ & Australia aren't open houses, they want people with the right skills to fill a void and thats it.

They dont want any Tom, Dick or harry, they want people who will go and work, pay their taxes and won't be a burden. Lesson to be learnt i think.

[4getmenot]

Isnt that what they do with hollyoaks?

[Loosehead]

well if they ban anyone who may be a burden then there is a list as long as your arm, smokers, drinkers, rockclimbers, skydivers etc... Does seem to single out one area only.

[Gromit]

It's from last saturday's News which is good going for the AB Ed. Predictably from the Daily Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles /news/news.html?in_article_id=494616&in_page_i d=1770

Apparently, the husband has been allowed to go even though he is barrel of Lard as well. He managed to lose 2 inches from his waistline, and just squeezed in.

[jake-the-peg]

I notice the article doesn't say exactly what her weight is.

There are photos of their wedding but we don't know how long ago that was or what's changed since then.

For all we know she could be bed ridden unable to lift an arm.

I don''t see how anyone can be expected to have an opinion without that information.

[Loosehead]

It does say that the BMI they are using is 25 jake so I guess she is still outside that, but by how much who knows but on that basis their own rugby team should be booted out!

I Cannot believe that BMI is still being taken seriously anywhere in the world. It takes no account of body composition and is not a measure of health. You can be over fat and under weight as well as the other way round.

[DJerba]

Excellent...why should they have to pay for her heal care when she has never put a penny in the NZ health care system. If only Britain could adopt the same system!

[Reverandfunk]

Point is Loosehead if they are the rules NZ applies then thats it. Same as to emigrate you must have specialist skills.

[Pippa68]

I agree with Loosehead.

If it is based on BMI then it is a load of old codswallop.

[cambus]

Have BMI refused to fly her then?

[Gromit]

She is barred from swimming off the coast of Japan as well.

[China Doll]

And the award for making me guffaw first today is shared between the ever thoughtful, sensitivie, diplomatic and tactful Abers Gromit and cambus.

[jake-the-peg]

No it doesn't say that Loosehead - Read it again.

It say's they're using BMI and that the husband (who's accepted) has a BMI way over 25 which is over the limit regarded as being overweight.

And as he's OK it's fair to assume that that is NOT the limit being used by the New Zealand authorities.

A crude BMI measurement is indeed codswallop but the athlete scenario becomes much less likely if the BMI is very high.

Besides which BMI is best used in relation to waist measurement and is only an issue if you have a waist measurement over 40" for a man 35" for a woman.

They may well be using this criteria but we don't know because the standard of journalism is so poor

[Gromit]

Here it is in the Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml =/news/2007/11/17/wfat117.xml

[China Doll]

I find it very hard to care. Is that bad?

[cambus]

Yes it is!
Its a shame really, they look so happy.