By Laura McQuillan
Opposition MPs are accusing Prime Minister John Key of misleading the public with his latest bout of memory loss - this time over how he voted on the drinking age.
Mr Key and his memory have been under fire for weeks since he said he could not remember being told of the Government Communications Security Bureau's (GCSB) surveillance of internet tycoon Kim Dotcom at a February briefing.
He says he also doesn't remember mentioning piracy accused Dotcom in a speech to GCSB staff - despite claims from his political rivals that he did.
They say Mr Key must again be suffering "brain-fade" over Parliament's recent vote on the drinking age.
After hearing that most voters in a new poll thought the age should have been raised to 20, Mr Key said he agreed with them.
"That's one of the reasons I voted for it to go to 20 - in line with what the public thought," Mr Key told media on Wednesday.
But that was wrong: Mr Key voted for the age to be split, so 18-year-olds could drink in bars, but only those 20 or over could purchase alcohol at off-licences.
When that option failed, Mr Key voted for the age to stay at 18, rather than being raised to 20.
Mr Key was at the Pacific Islands Forum in the Cook Islands when the vote took place, and his vote was cast by proxy.
Labour deputy leader Grant Robertson says he can't understand why Mr Key would claim he'd voted differently.
"Clearly it's either another brain-fade from the prime minister or he's simply not telling the truth, and I think New Zealanders deserve a bit better than that from the prime minister."
Mr Robertson said Mr Key would have had to sign his proxy vote, so he would have been fully aware how he was voting.
Green Party co-leader Russel Norman says it appears Mr Key "just can't remember anything".
NZN