Dove-Myer, as he later called himself (ignoring his Robinson family name), found New Zealand agreeable and lacking in the intermittent persecutions he had previously faced.

He established Robinson's Motor Cycle and Bicycle Depot in 1930, but the business struggled as a result of the Great Depression, expanding to include cars.

[5] Robinson entered politics in the late 1940s when he led the opposition to a sewage dumping scheme championed by Auckland Mayor Sir John Allum (the Browns Island plan) that would have discharged untreated effluent into Waitemata Harbour.

[6] When a vacancy occurred on the Auckland City Council in 1952 Robinson stood as an independent candidate in the subsequent by-election.

His success in the scheme earned Robinson a reputation as a visionary later on helped him gain the popularity to be elected Mayor of Auckland City.

[1] Robinson had established a public profile during his lengthy political struggle against the Browns Island plan, but it took a toll on his private life.

[3] In 1959, campaigning on a populist platform as "Robbie" he defeated the incumbent Citizens & Ratepayers mayor Keith Buttle which caused much resentment.

[3] Robinson was also infamously known for walking from his home in Remuera to work at the town hall shirtless, often media cameras in tow.

He had a very public break-up with his fourth wife Thelma (who only wanted two terms as mayoress), he lost the 1965 mayoral election by 1,134 votes to Citizens & Ratepayers candidate Roy McElroy and despite being re-elected to the ARA, he was denied any chairman responsibilities.

He cultivated a more constructive relationship with the newer Citizens & Ratepayers councillors, most of whom were uninvolved in the feuding of previous council terms and more appreciative of Robinson's role in the Browns Island affair.

Robinson's proposal for a bus-rail rapid transit plan was "to provide fast, modern electrified railways through the main traffic corridors of the region".

[5] The proposal had passenger trains every three minutes running from an underground subway terminal in the city centre with above ground tracks leading to Howick, Auckland Airport and a tunnel to the North Shore.

Retrospectively, Robinson's idea to implement rapid rail was seen as a possible long-term solution to Auckland's subsequent transportation difficulties.

A civic funeral was held for him at the Auckland Town Hall with a secular service led by Reverend Selwyn Dawson (a former councillor).

[4] Robinson has been described as one of New Zealand's most popular and colourful politicians, politically independent, rationalist, environmentalist and alternative medicine advocate.