View Full Version : New Zealand bars British man's 'fat' wife
licoricepizza
20-11-07, 11:29 AM
New Zealand bars British man's 'fat' wife
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/17/wfat117.xml&CMP=ILC-mostviewedbox
A British man who moved to New Zealand has been told by officials that his wife is too fat to join him.
Richie Trezise, 35, a rugby-playing Welshman, lost weight to gain entry to New Zealand after initially being rejected for being overweight and a potential burden on the health care system.
His wife, Rowan, 33, a photographer, has been battling for months to shed the pounds so they can be reunited and live Down Under but has so far been unable to overcome New Zealand’s weight regulations.
Mr Trezise, who moved to Auckland in September after shedding two inches from his waist on a crash diet, said that if his wife was not allowed to come out by Christmas they would abandon the idea of emigrating.
His employer-backed skills visa was initially rejected by immigration officials when they discovered that his body mass index, or BMI, was 42, making him morbidly obese under New Zealand regulations.
BMI measures a person’s weight in relation to their height. Anything over 25 is regarded as overweight, and 30 or above is obese.
Mr Trezise, a submarine cable specialist and a former soldier, said: "My doctor laughed at me. He said he’d never seen anything more ridiculous in his whole life. He said not every overweight person is unhealthy or unfit.
"The idea was that we were going to change our lifestyle totally and get outdoors and on mountain bikes and all sorts of activities."
The couple, who both lived in Barry, Wales, were all set for a new life after Mr Trezise was headhunted by New Zealand’s Telecom.
On her website, Mrs Trezise said earlier in the year: "We are fed up with life in the UK and moving to New Zealand. Auckland here we come!", but her entries end without mention of her difficulties in the face of immigration law.
Robyn Toomath, a spokesman for Fight the Obesity Epidemic and an endocrinologist, said the BMI limit was valid in the vast majority of people.
She said she was opposed to obese people being stigmatised. "However, the immigration department’s focus is different," she said. "It cannot afford to import people into the country who are going to be a significant drain on our health resources.
"You can see the logic in assessing if there is a significant health cost associated with this individual and that would be a reason for them not coming in."
New Zealand is critically short of skilled workers, and many large firms are intensively recruiting in Britain.
Mr Trezise was recruited to supervise the Southern Cross Cable, which links New Zealand with Australia and the west coast of the United States. He is one of only four highly qualified specialist technicians working on the improvement of the cable.
The New Zealand Immigration Service said it did not know how many people were denied entry to the country because of high BMI readings.
However, comments posted on the Emigrate New Zealand website reveal that many people have been turned down after medical tests revealed that they were obese.
Mr Trezise has private health care in New Zealand and his employer, Telecom, has a gym membership scheme.
*Snigger*
bloody salad dodgers:lol:
gettin2dizzy
20-11-07, 11:45 AM
You beat me too it ;)
PM'd you J
Pedro68
20-11-07, 11:45 AM
Mr Treesize
*Snigger*
Everytime I read his name as the above ;-)
You beat me too it ;)
gettin2dizzy, you are a bit slack today, how come you did not post this?
gettin2dizzy
20-11-07, 11:51 AM
gettin2dizzy, you are a bit slack today, how come you did not post this?
lol. Because I was reading about the man who is turning in to a tree so I was beaten by seconds ;)
licoricepizza
20-11-07, 11:57 AM
On the subject of news, my newsfeed gives a summary of news reports as they come in. Sometimes, they seem to suggest something other than intended. For example...
Bashir 'preparing for Sudan war'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7101285.stm
Now I know he did a controversial documetary about Michael Jackson but...
Jordan holds parliamentary vote
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7102974.stm
Now I haven't watched BBC Parliament, I may start. Who knew?
Pedrosa
20-11-07, 11:58 AM
New Zealand bars British man's 'fat' wife
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/17/wfat117.xml&CMP=ILC-mostviewedbox
.
"The idea was that we were going to change our lifestyle totally and get outdoors and on mountain bikes and all sorts of activities."
So your going to move to a country which in truth is not altogether that different from Wales and all of a sudden adopt a healthy lifestyle full of exercise etc? Like you could not have started it before you emigrate?
The road to hell,(New Zealand) is paved with good intentions!
licoricepizza
20-11-07, 12:01 PM
http://yellow.co.nz/search.ds?what=Cake+Shops&where=New+Zealand&newSearch=true
gettin2dizzy
20-11-07, 12:03 PM
It's brilliant that they put the word 'fat' in quotation marks as if to say she isn't
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2007/11/17/wfat117.jpg
That mans wearing a skirt
licoricepizza
20-11-07, 12:07 PM
She is definitely fat. No question.
Just how fat do you have to be to get banned from entering a country?!
Pedro68
20-11-07, 12:08 PM
http://www.bwmaonline.com/Transport%20-%20Width%20restrictions%20dual.jpg
This continual fat-bashing is becoming tedious, guys.
:rolleyes:
This continual fat-bashing is becoming tedious, guys.
:rolleyes:
Ping, you beat me to it.
:rant:
As a marathon runner I'm afraid I assess people partly on their physical appearance.
BUT - and it's a damn great but - that stays with me. I don't vilify or ridicule people in public. No doubt there are things about me that people would laugh at. Like the fact that when I get stressed I pull my eyebrows out and as a result have a whacking great hole where my left eyebrow should be. Like the fact that I find it hard to hear people in a noisy environment and so tend to have to ask people to repeat things. Any form of physical impairment is good for a cheap laugh.
And to be honest that's what all this is about. A cheap laugh at other people's expense. Is it really necessary - or even informative - to post up drivel about a woman who's overweight?
licoricepizza
20-11-07, 12:23 PM
Ping, you beat me to it.
:rant:
As a marathon runner I'm afraid I assess people partly on their physical appearance.
BUT - and it's a damn great but - that stays with me. I don't vilify or ridicule people in public. No doubt there are things about me that people would laugh at. Like the fact that when I get stressed I pull my eyebrows out and as a result have a whacking great hole where my left eyebrow should be. Like the fact that I find it hard to hear people in a noisy environment and so tend to have to ask people to repeat things. Any form of physical impairment is good for a cheap laugh.
And to be honest that's what all this is about. A cheap laugh at other people's expense. Is it really necessary - or even informative - to post up drivel about a woman who's overweight?
As necessary and informative as you telling us about your eyebrows. Lighten up (no pun intended).
Pedro68
20-11-07, 12:28 PM
Like the fact that when I get stressed ...
Maybe this is just other's people's ways of beating the stress Ed ;-)
I mean, I could get stressed about my job, or about something inflammatory that someone has posted on here ... but a bit of harmless "poking of fun" at others people's expense may make some of us feel just a little less stressed and a little better about ourselves perhaps :)
I genuinely feel a bit sorry for her and her husband actually, but I do find the statement about "we were going to start a new life, and new exercise regime" a bit laughable (as someone else stated, what's wrong with doing that BEFORE you try and emigrate?!).
All IMHO of course ;-)
licoricepizza
20-11-07, 12:35 PM
She is endangering her health by being overweight. She will be a drain on their health service, or worse, ours. Looks like she's staying anyway...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml;jsessionid=30F2MWMTDIGIHQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ 0IV0?xml=/earth/2007/11/20/eafish120.xml
She is endangering her health by being overweight. She will be a drain on their health service, or worse, ours.
Not at all unlike biking... Rubbish argument.
F Must do better. :p
gettin2dizzy
20-11-07, 12:45 PM
Rubbish argument
True ;)
It wasn't just a cheap laugh, I laughed at the headline, and laughed louder at the picture :)
True ;)
It wasn't just a cheap laugh, I laughed at the headline, and laughed louder at the picture :)
Fish'n'chips is dull though... I don't understand how anyone can want to eat much of it let alone get incredibly overweight on it.
Fried chicken, curry, pizza, burgers, etc, I can understand...
:p
Fish'n'chips is dull though...
:p
have you been to yorkshire? the home of fish & chips
anywho.............. am i the only one that thinks she's kind of sexy?:smt017
Pedro68
20-11-07, 12:53 PM
anywho.............. am i the only one that thinks she's kind of sexy?:smt017
well obviously not ... I think her husband might also find her sexy ;-)
Well, there's plenty of guys out there who prefer larger ladies so I think it's fair to conclude that one size does NOT fit all.
:lol:
(and no, that wasn't actually intended in the pervy way it sounded... :lol:)
gettin2dizzy
20-11-07, 12:56 PM
Fish'n'chips is dull though... I don't understand how anyone can want to eat much of it let alone get incredibly overweight on it.
:p
And it has the infamous "fish and chips wall", the point where you really can't eat any more. She must be a pro ;-)
licoricepizza
20-11-07, 12:56 PM
Not at all unlike biking... Rubbish argument.
F Must do better. :p
3,172 people died on the roads last year. 599 were motorcyclists. Obesity, although harder to measure, causes approximately 30,000 deaths a year, costing around £500m. It’s only going to get worse. It's a big problem.
licoricepizza
20-11-07, 12:57 PM
And it has the infamous "fish and chips wall", the point where you really can't eat any more. She must be a pro ;-)
I bet all that flour for the batter is useful too...
Pedro68
20-11-07, 01:09 PM
3,172 people died on the roads last year. 599 were motorcyclists. Obesity, although harder to measure, causes approximately 30,000 deaths a year, costing around £500m. It’s only going to get worse. It's a big problem.Quite literally :rolleyes:
Flamin_Squirrel
20-11-07, 01:46 PM
3,172 people died on the roads last year. 599 were motorcyclists. Obesity, although harder to measure, causes approximately 30,000 deaths a year, costing around £500m. It’s only going to get worse. It's a big problem.
People tend to use up the most medical resources in the last 10 years of life. So should the tax payer should be concerned, whether someone dies at 45 from being obease or dying at 100 from old age, as the two bills might not differ that much?
In fact as someone dying before they can claim a pension is a good thing, financially.
gettin2dizzy
20-11-07, 01:50 PM
People tend to use up the most medical resources in the last 10 years of life. So should the tax payer should be concerned, whether someone dies at 45 from being obease or dying at 100 from old age, as the two bills might not differ that much?
In fact as someone dying before they can claim a pension is a good thing, financially.
But I've got to put up with looking at the fat knackers! ;)
Pedrosa
20-11-07, 01:58 PM
Not wishing to once again make fun of those of more "ample" proportions but....perhaps the hidden agenda behind the NZ policy is that even considering both north and south island there is not a massive land mass. maybe they are concerned that they cannot facilitate the space required by our welsh victims?
Am I bad?(I know Ping will tell me!;-))
ArtyLady
20-11-07, 10:27 PM
This continual fat-bashing is becoming tedious, guys.
:rolleyes:
I agree...why do you guys do it? :smt102 its very unkind [-X and yes I take it personally :mad:
gettin2dizzy
21-11-07, 08:13 AM
I agree...why do you guys do it? :smt102 its very unkind [-X and yes I take it personally :mad:
we're of the Wife Swap generation. Encouraged to sit back and watch tv/life and make note of how much better we are than everyone else. :riding:
Pedro68
21-11-07, 08:32 AM
I agree...why do you guys do it? :smt102
Do you want the rather blunt answer or the reasoned argument?
To put it bluntly, it's called comedy and having a sense of humour - if you want a perfect example, you might wish to try watching Jo Brand at work.
If you want a reasoned argument ... it's human nature. When things don't conform "to the norm" or within the bounds of what we term "average" then it becomes the target of ridicule and the butt of many a joke because of the difference.
its very unkind [-X
Some of it CAN be rather harsh I will admit, and people should know when to draw the line ... however "continual fat bashing"? what exactly makes it continual? AFAIK there was about 4 comments (all from different people) before Ping posted that - that doesn't make it "continual" IMHO.
and yes I take it personally :mad:
Well please don't (nobody has actually aimed anything directly at you) ... I'm almost entirely bald and from Liverpool (although I don't have a strong scouse accent) and yet I am the butt of many a joke for being a "slap-head-scouse-git-I'll-nick-anything-me" sort of bloke!? It doesn't offend me in the slightest! Yes, ok sometimes I tire of the constant "ooh I better check me hub-caps" comments from new work colleagues, but I've learnt to take it on the chin, and in the light-hearted way it was intended.
I mean, I can't actually DO anything about my hair loss, so I HAVE to accept it (and the jokes that go with it) ... there's plenty of "fat" people who COULD do something about their weight and CHOOSE NOT TO.
Perhaps people ought to try and be a bit more light-hearted about these things ;)
EDIT: Myself included ... slap-head!!!
Right, back to being serious again.
Continual. Have a look through various other threads where fat-bashing has become the latest trend (where bemoaning other cultures hasn't).
In the media, on this forum. It's everywhere. Not a day goes by that there isn't some anti-fat headline in the news.
It only serves to make 'the sun mentality' nation more vocal about fat people, which isn't a good thing.
Rather than whining about the PC brigade not letting you (the masses) slag off who you like, why not consider just being a nicer person? :p If people actually cared what effect their remarks had this would be a less nasty place to live in. Each nasty thing that goes on has a knock-on effect.
I also want to ask what kind of people are the type who need to put down others to feel better about themselves?
gettin2dizzy
21-11-07, 09:53 AM
I also want to ask what kind of people are the type who need to put down others to feel better about themselves?
The british.
All tv is based on this now. Fat/bad behaved/ lazy blah blah....
Being nicer does seem like the best option :) I wonder if work will give me an hour to myself through the week to not be grumpy :smt023
The british.
All tv is based on this now. Fat/bad behaved/ lazy blah blah....
Being nicer does seem like the best option :) I wonder if work will give me an hour to myself through the week to not be grumpy :smt023
Funny how it always boils back to the media... A worrying amount of power there.
:lol: Government enforced 'niceness' sessions...
*shudders*
That's getting into the realms of the WAY too scary... :lol:
gettin2dizzy
21-11-07, 10:04 AM
fines for not smiling?
thought police for negative thoughts ?
It's close ;)
ArtyLady
21-11-07, 10:06 AM
problem is Pedro is where does it end? my daughter was teased and bullied at school because she is profoundly deaf yes she took it on the chin most of the time but I can assure you she suffered severe low esteem. (she used to come home and take it out on us!)
If you had severe low esteem about your bald head then you might take a different view about the way people joke about it. Maybe, luckily for you, it either doesnt bother you, or you pretend it doesnt (if the former then thats probably because its quite fashionable atm - quite fancy'em meself ;) ) but many men suffer severe low self esteem over being bald. Would you stand up for yourself to your collegues if it did bother you? No probably not you would just feel inwardly distressed.
Pedro68
21-11-07, 10:34 AM
Continual. Have a look through various other threads where fat-bashing has become the latest trend (where bemoaning other cultures hasn't).
Ping, I'm sorry but I wasn't aware of all the "fat-bashing" threads about.
Not a day goes by that there isn't some anti-fat headline in the news. It only serves to make 'the sun mentality' nation more vocal about fat people, which isn't a good thing.
So, highlighting the health risks that obesity can cause is bad thing?
Not relevant to this thread I grant you, but if the press wish to report the health risks, at a time when more and more people are being declared "obese" then I think that IS a good thing.
why not consider just being a nicer person? :p If people actually cared what effect their remarks had this would be a less nasty place to live in. Each nasty thing that goes on has a knock-on effect.
I also want to ask what kind of people are the type who need to put down others to feel better about themselves?
Well I consider myself to be a fairly nice person, but its a fine line between "putting people down" and "comedy", and not everyone will agree on where you draw the line. I know that sometimes my own "brand of comedy" sails quite close to the wind. So I guess we'll have to agree to disagree here Ping (and ArtyLady). However, just to show my nicer side, I will bear your comments in mind when mocking those I consider "different" to myself ;)
Ping, I'm sorry but I wasn't aware of all the "fat-bashing" threads about.
So, highlighting the health risks that obesity can cause is bad thing?
Not relevant to this thread I grant you, but if the press wish to report the health risks, at a time when more and more people are being declared "obese" then I think that IS a good thing.
Well I consider myself to be a fairly nice person, but its a fine line between "putting people down" and "comedy", and not everyone will agree on where you draw the line. I know that sometimes my own "brand of comedy" sails quite close to the wind. So I guess we'll have to agree to disagree here Ping (and ArtyLady). However, just to show my nicer side, I will bear your comments in mind when mocking those I consider "different" to myself ;)
Just attend the Regulated Niceness Sessions and all will be well... ;)
:lol:
Pedro68
21-11-07, 10:47 AM
problem is Pedro is where does it end? my daughter was teased and bullied at school because she is profoundly deaf yes she took it on the chin most of the time but I can assure you she suffered severe low esteem. (she used to come home and take it out on us!)
If you had severe low esteem about your bald head then you might take a different view about the way people joke about it. Maybe, luckily for you, it either doesnt bother you, or you pretend it doesnt (if the former then thats probably because its quite fashionable atm - quite fancy'em meself ;) ) but many men suffer severe low self esteem over being bald. Would you stand up for yourself to your collegues if it did bother you? No probably not you would just feel inwardly distressed.
ArtyLady, I am sorry to hear of your daughters condition/disability (whichever one is PC these days), but that's hardly "self-inflicted". I'm not saying that all "fat people" have brought it upon themselves as I know of cases (and come to think of it, have defended an overweight friend in another thread!) ... so I know of cases where the persons weight-issue has been no fault of their own. So I guess you're right in one respect ... that since we can possibly not know how a persons weight-issue was caused we SHOULD not really poke fun at them.
So in that respect I see your point ;)
Amen for fashion ... can I get my flares back out again yet? and do they go with bald heads?!? :D
Pedro68
21-11-07, 10:49 AM
Just attend the Regulated Niceness Sessions and all will be well... ;)
:lol:
I would do ... but they coincide with my Kleptomaniacs-Anonymous sessions (me being a thievin' scouse git n all that :-P) ;-)
licoricepizza
21-11-07, 10:51 AM
problem is Pedro is where does it end? my daughter was teased and bullied at school because she is profoundly deaf yes she took it on the chin most of the time but I can assure you she suffered severe low esteem. (she used to come home and take it out on us!)
If you had severe low esteem about your bald head then you might take a different view about the way people joke about it. Maybe, luckily for you, it either doesnt bother you, or you pretend it doesnt (if the former then thats probably because its quite fashionable atm - quite fancy'em meself ;) ) but many men suffer severe low self esteem over being bald. Would you stand up for yourself to your collegues if it did bother you? No probably not you would just feel inwardly distressed.
I disagree. Everyone has a hang-up about something. Whether that's being fat, skinny, hold religious belief etc., it doesn't really matter. People are generally only sensitive about whatever issue affects them, I don't see many men arguing the case for equal pay for women, for example.
The media is to blame to an extent, but it's there to highlight current issues. Obesity is an issue, particularly in children, so it gets mentioned all the time. Anorexia gets mentioned too, but proportionally, obesity is much more of a concern and should be brought to the public's attention.
I am proud that I live in a country where I have the right to offend, and be offended. If you don't like it, then don't read it. It'll be a sad day when we can't.
I would do ... but they coincide with my Kleptomaniacs-Anonymous sessions (me being a thievin' scouse git n all that :-P) ;-)
:lol: My beady eyes are smiling and I salute you with my flappy head, eh.
Ceri JC
21-11-07, 10:53 AM
I am proud that I live in a country where I have the right to offend, and be offended. If you don't like it, then don't read it. It'll be a sad day when we can't.
Amen to that. "No one has the right not to be offended" and all that....
I am proud that I live in a country where I have the right to offend, and be offended. If you don't like it, then don't read it. It'll be a sad day when we can't.
Nobody's saying 'can't'. The right to freedom of speech has lost the responsibility it originally came with. The lack of consideration/courtesy people show these days is pretty disagreeable and - to my mind - a large part of how crap things have gotten.
drefraser
21-11-07, 11:42 AM
Nobody's saying 'can't'. The right to freedom of speech has lost the responsibility it originally came with. The lack of consideration/courtesy people show these days is pretty disagreeable and - to my mind - a large part of how crap things have gotten.
I think it's all down to when and where. I expect to whinge about my job just not to my boss, I expect the people I manage to whinge about me just not when I can hear and I expect everyone to laugh when a celeb punches a photographer.
Neither of the subjects we're having a light hearted pop at are bikers as far as we know and even if hubbie was he'd be on www.kiwibiker.co.nz so I think we're safe. I think the concept that we should only say things about people that we'd be happy to say to their face is madness. I've heard people put that point of view forward but I don't know anyone who actually holds to it.
I think we're showing consideration by wandering off to this forum for our amusement.
ArtyLady
21-11-07, 11:43 AM
Amen for fashion ... can I get my flares back out again yet? and do they go with bald heads?!? :D
Where've you been!? Flares have been back in and out again all ready! ;) I think anything goes these days fashion wise...just as well - some of the old garbage I wear! ;) :lol:
Mmmm...bald men - Im thinking Ross Kemp...Bruce Willis..Billy Zane... :smt055 :D
Pedro68
21-11-07, 11:51 AM
Where've you been!? Flares have been back in and out again all ready! ;) I think anything goes these days fashion wise...just as well - some of the old garbage I wear! ;) :lol:
Really?! I knew that :---) LOL ... and that gives me an idea ...
Mmmm...bald men - Im thinking Ross Kemp...Bruce Willis..Billy Zane... :smt055 :D
What I wouldn't give to swap with Billy Zane ... Mmmmmmmm Kelly Brook ... now THERE'S a woman with CuRvEs =P~
Luckypants
21-11-07, 12:06 PM
What I wouldn't give to swap with Billy Zane ... Mmmmmmmm Kelly Brook ... now THERE'S a woman with CuRvEs =P~
If all you needed was a slap head mate, I'd be in front of you in the queue.
I am bald and 'obese' according to BMI. I was also 'obese' when I boated and played rugby, because my BMI was high due to being big. These days I'm just a fat baldy man. Let the name calling begin....
I havnt read the last 6 pages but
I have never understood the use of BMI index, some people are small built and tiny like 'lilly cole' a naturally small size 0 and not underweight....and likewise some people are very fit and health with a reasonable amount of muscle making them apparently overweight
If this women is a fat heffer then fairplay to not letting her in to be a burden on the health system. The UK should adopt an autralian/kiwi ethos on immigration.
I agree...why do you guys do it? :smt102 its very unkind [-X and yes I take it personally :mad:aww bless, still ......it give muslims a bit of a break
I have never understood the use of BMI index, .tis crap
Flamin_Squirrel
21-11-07, 01:01 PM
Nobody's saying 'can't'. The right to freedom of speech has lost the responsibility it originally came with. The lack of consideration/courtesy people show these days is pretty disagreeable and - to my mind - a large part of how crap things have gotten.
And the more people are told what they can and can't say by the government, the worse it gets...
blue curvy jester
21-11-07, 01:11 PM
As an aside to this the BMI is not a perfect system for obeisty anyway
most of the all blacks backs in the last rugby world cup were defined as morbidly obese according to this scale !!!!! (but someone else can tell them)
saying that she does look like shes been on the supersize me diet
yorkie_chris
21-11-07, 01:13 PM
http://www.bwmaonline.com/Transport%20-%20Width%20restrictions%20dual.jpg
Lmao!
.perhaps the hidden agenda behind the NZ policy is that even considering both north and south island there is not a massive land mass. maybe they are concerned that they cannot facilitate the space required by our welsh victims?)
No mate don't be silly, they're worried it'll sink :-P
drefraser
21-11-07, 01:17 PM
I havnt read the last 6 pages but
I have never understood the use of BMI index.
Easy really, if your BMI is higher you'll die younger on average. If there were lots of people in any studied population with significant amounts of lean muscle and low body fat then the calculation wouldn't work. But it does; in every studied population. How many Jonah Lomus are there round your way compared to genuine overweight people?
If this women is a fat heffer then fairplay to not letting her in to be a burden on the health system. The UK should adopt an autralian/kiwi ethos on immigration.
Yes - perhaps something along the lines of 'you must not put a burden on our local beer supply?'
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