Ministers from the 12 nations involved in the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal have officially signed the agreement in Auckland.
Trade ministers from the 12 countries signed the deal on Thursday as protesters against the deal rallied outside the venue where the ceremony took place.
Australia's Trade Minister Andrew Robb was the first to put pen to paper and applause and cheers greeted the announcement that the agreement had been signed once New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay was the last to initial the document.
Ministers posed for photographs after the signing which is another step towards the world's largest free-trade pact becoming a reality.
It will still need to be ratified by each of the member countries and it's anticipated it will come into effect in two years' time.
The formalities took place as several hundred protesters gathered outside the SkyCity Convention Centre, forcing police to block entrances to the building.
The protesters were vocal in their opposition to the deal, with many complaining about a loss of sovereignty. A small group blocked access to some motorways in the city.
A larger protest march down Queen Street is to take place later in the day.
Earlier, Mr McClay welcomed the ministers from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam and encouraged them to see a bit of the country while they were here.
"I hope you've brought your credit card, we need a little help with the local economy," he joked.
The government estimates the overall benefit of the TPP to New Zealand will be at least $NZ2.7 billion ($A2.51 billion) a year by 2030.
But the deal's benefits have been questioned by opponents, including the NZ Labour Party, who are worried about curbs on New Zealand's sovereignty.
TPP trade ministers announced in October last year that they had finally struck a deal after several days of crunch talks.
The TPP started out in 2006 as the P4 free trade agreement between Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore.
The United States began negotiations to join the deal in 2008, prompting a number of other Pacific rim countries to join in.
It eventually expanded to include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the US and Vietnam.
Those countries have a combined population of more than 800 million and account for more than a third of the global economy.
