too fat to fly?

LONDON - A British man forced to shed pounds so he could emigrate to New Zealand is hoping his overweight wife can do the same in time for Christmas. Richie Trezise was originally rejected by New Zealand because his body mass index of 42 meant he was morbidly obese, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday. Trezise, a submarine cable specialist, went on a crash diet and shed two inches from his waist, enough to meed immigration requirements. "My doctor laughed at me," Trezise said. " He said he'd never seen anything more ridiculous in his whole life. He said not every overweight person is unhealthy or unfit." Though New Zealand is critically short of skilled workers, a government spokeswoman says it cannot afford to import anyone who might be a significant drain on its health resources. Trezise was recruited to supervise the Southern Cross Cable that links New Zealand with Australia and the west coast of the United States. He says if his wife, Rowan, fails to lose enough weight, he'll return to England and forget about emigrating. Any BMI above 35 is considered obese. The report did not give the couple's weights.  

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