The deal will be signed at a formal meeting between Prime Minister John Key and South Korea's President Park Geung-hye about 3 this afternoon (NZ time).
Groser is leading a business delegation from New Zealand of 36 exporters or organisations. He said New Zealand had worked out 20 years ago what was called "the first cab off the rank" strategy. The aim was get ahead of everybody else it and it worked with China, with Asean (in conjunction with Australia), with Taiwan and with Russia until the Crimea crisis put paid to a virtually concluded deal.