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 Waitematā Harbour.
Robinson joined the Auckland and Suburban Drainage League, a group opposed to the idea of disposing Auckland's sewage and slaughterhouse waste into the harbour and intent on finding an alternative.
Robinson's first attempt saw him take a petition containing 43,000 signatures to Parliament to try and convince the government to block the plan, but was unsuccessful.

When a vacancy occurred on the Auckland City Council in 1952 Robinson stood as an independent candidate in the subsequent by-election.
He used the publicity he had gained in his fight against Browns Island to stand out from the crowd and won the election.
It was the first victory for an independent candidate in an Auckland City election since 1935.
Now as a council member he was appointed as a council representative on the Auckland Drainage Board the body proposing the Browns Island plan and opposed it from within.

To try and break the deadlock Robinson formed a new political party, the United Independents, and at the 1953 elections the new group won five seats (including Robinson) giving them the balance of power between the Citizens & Ratepayers and Labour Party tickets.
They also endorsed John Luxford's candidacy for mayor who defeated Allum.
With Allum removed from the council (and by extension the Drainage Board) Robinson assumed chairmanship of the Drainage Board.
There, he proposed and eventually realised a scheme to break down the sewage in oxidation ponds ('Robbie's ponds') near the Manukau Harbour.
As for Browns Island it instead became a public reserve.
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.

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.
His third marriage ended and he divorced Betty in 1959.
On 15 June that same year he married Thelma Thompson, an executive at Childswear Ltd, with whom he had one daughter.
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 Waitematā Harbour. Robinson joined the Auckland and Suburban Drainage League, a group opposed to the idea of disposing Auckland's sewage and slaughterhouse waste into the harbour and intent on finding an alternative. Robinson's first attempt saw him take a petition containing 43,000 signatures to Parliament to try and convince the government to block the plan, but was unsuccessful.
When a vacancy occurred on the Auckland City Council in 1952 Robinson stood as an independent candidate in the subsequent by-election. He used the publicity he had gained in his fight against Browns Island to stand out from the crowd and won the election. It was the first victory for an independent candidate in an Auckland City election since 1935. Now as a council member he was appointed as a council representative on the Auckland Drainage Board the body proposing the Browns Island plan and opposed it from within.
To try and break the deadlock Robinson formed a new political party, the United Independents, and at the 1953 elections the new group won five seats (including Robinson) giving them the balance of power between the Citizens & Ratepayers and Labour Party tickets. They also endorsed John Luxford's candidacy for mayor who defeated Allum. With Allum removed from the council (and by extension the Drainage Board) Robinson assumed chairmanship of the Drainage Board. There, he proposed and eventually realised a scheme to break down the sewage in oxidation ponds ('Robbie's ponds') near the Manukau Harbour. As for Browns Island it instead became a public reserve. 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.
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. His third marriage ended and he divorced Betty in 1959. On 15 June that same year he married Thelma Thompson, an executive at Childswear Ltd, with whom he had one daughter.
Dove-Myer Robinson