Fatties Banned in New Zealand

(Wellington, New Zealand) The New Zealand Residence Review Board received an application from a 51-year-old veteran British nurse to move to the country after she had been offered a job in a home and in a hospital.

Even though New Zealand suffers from a shortage of qualified nurses, she was rejected because of her weight.

Medical advisors calculated that with a weight of 21 stone and height of 5ft 1in, her body mass index (BMI) was 55.2, putting her at a high risk of developing health problems. [...]

Officials said if she reduced her BMI to 40 her application could be reconsidered.

But they found that currently, despite the woman being in good health, the family "would make a sound, but it could not be said significant, contribution to New Zealand".

Consequently, the woman was declared not significant enough to compensate for her being fat.