It may not have been very diplomatic. And his boss probably won't thank him for it. But Maurice Williamson has done the country a huge favour in exposing the real story surrounding the Crafar farms and Chinese pressure on New Zealand.
He has done so by releasing a letter to him from Murray McCully in which the Foreign Minister issues a blunt warning about the impact on trade and economic relations with China if the application by Chinese interests to buy the Crafar farms had been declined.
Accompanying documentation shows a high level of concern within the Government about the impact on potential investors - and not just Chinese ones - of February's High Court ruling overturning Williamson's and Jonathan Coleman's ministerial approval of the sale.
The material also shows that the Crafar case was being closely watched by Chinese authorities. It was raised in talks with Trade Minister Tim Groser. New Zealand officials developed a special strategy to clear up the "confusion" surrounding the court's decision.
As late as Monday the Prime Minister was steadfastly denying any pressure "at all" had come from the Chinese. The material released by Williamson would suggest the opposite. Pressure comes in very different forms. An elephant does not have to apply much of it to squash a mouse.
