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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.

It's a shame the authorities didn't think about his weight before they let him to the country. It must be an upset for his family and would probably cost him to get there. Far better to say no at the beginning ....Strange! Not sure what I think

Depending on his height 130kg is not that bad if he is over 6ft tall ... room for improvement but not a disaster. Most of the All Blacks weigh around 120-130 kg.

NZ has an awful lot of very fat people but the PR for the country manages to skate over the issue. None of the Hobbits weighed 130kg for sure.

I don't blame him for going NZ is a great place, very friendly as well as scenic. Looks like he will be in the gym for a bit.

The general idea of the NZ Health service is surely pretty sensible. Maybe the NHS/Border Service could do something similar for the UK.