Dove-Myer Robinson
Encyclopedia
Sir Dove-Myer Robinson (15 June 1901 – 14 August 1989) was Mayor of Auckland City
from 1959 to 1965 and from 1968 to 1980, the longest tenure of any holder of the office.
He was a colourful character and became affectionately known across New Zealand as "Robbie". He was one of several Jewish mayors of Auckland
, although he rejected Judaism as a teenager and became a lifelong atheist. He has been described as a "slight, bespectacled man whose tiny stature was offset by a booming voice and massive ego".
, England, he was the sixth of seven children of Ida Brown and Moss Robinson. While his father described himself as a master jeweller, he actually sold trinkets and second-hand furniture, and the family was poor and often on the move. Robinson's mother influenced the upbringing of her son by transmitting the strict values her rabbi
father had taught her. His Jewish heritage ensured that he was often targeted by anti-semitic violence in the schools he attended. The family moved to New Zealand in 1914, where his father worked as a pawnbroker
. 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.
Robinson entered politics in the late 1940s when he led the opposition to a sewage dumping scheme that would have discharged untreated effluent into the Hauraki Gulf
. When elected in 1953 as a councillor, he proposed and eventually realised a scheme to break down the sewage in oxidation ponds ('Robbie's ponds') near the Manukau Harbour
. His success in the scheme later on helped him gain his first mayoralty.
, former Auckland Mayoress and councillor, is his niece, and spearheaded a campaign for the Auckland City Council to build a statue of him in Aotea Square; the statue was completed in 2002.
, the Citizens and Ratepayers candidate, but in the next election in 1968, he defeated McElroy by 6000 votes.
Mayor of Auckland City
The Mayor of Auckland City was the directly elected head of the Auckland City Council, the municipal government of Auckland City, New Zealand. The office existed from 1871 to 2010, when Auckland City Council was abolished and replaced with the Auckland Council....
from 1959 to 1965 and from 1968 to 1980, the longest tenure of any holder of the office.
He was a colourful character and became affectionately known across New Zealand as "Robbie". He was one of several Jewish mayors of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, although he rejected Judaism as a teenager and became a lifelong atheist. He has been described as a "slight, bespectacled man whose tiny stature was offset by a booming voice and massive ego".
Life
Born Mayer Dove Robinson in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England, he was the sixth of seven children of Ida Brown and Moss Robinson. While his father described himself as a master jeweller, he actually sold trinkets and second-hand furniture, and the family was poor and often on the move. Robinson's mother influenced the upbringing of her son by transmitting the strict values her rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
father had taught her. His Jewish heritage ensured that he was often targeted by anti-semitic violence in the schools he attended. The family moved to New Zealand in 1914, where his father worked as a pawnbroker
Pawnbroker
A pawnbroker is an individual or business that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral...
. 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.
Robinson entered politics in the late 1940s when he led the opposition to a sewage dumping scheme that would have discharged untreated effluent into the Hauraki Gulf
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a total area of 4000 km², and lies between the Auckland Region, the Hauraki Plains, the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island...
. When elected in 1953 as a councillor, he proposed and eventually realised a scheme to break down the sewage in oxidation ponds ('Robbie's ponds') near the Manukau Harbour
Manukau Harbour
Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and is an arm of the Tasman Sea.-Geography:...
. His success in the scheme later on helped him gain his first mayoralty.
Remembrance
Dame Barbara GoodmanBarbara Goodman
Dame Barbara Goodman, DBE, QSO, JP is an Auckland, New Zealand politician.She was Mayoress of Auckland City as well as a former Auckland City Councillor for 12 years...
, former Auckland Mayoress and councillor, is his niece, and spearheaded a campaign for the Auckland City Council to build a statue of him in Aotea Square; the statue was completed in 2002.
Mayoral terms
Robinson lost the 1965 mayoral election by 1134 votes to Roy McElroyRoy McElroy
Dr Roy Granville McElroy was a lawyer, and was Mayor of Auckland, New Zealand from 1965 to 1968. He was a lawyer, trained at the University of Auckland, and the University of Cambridge, where he got a PhD in law in 1935, and was partner in the Auckland law firm of McElroy, Duncan and Preddle...
, the Citizens and Ratepayers candidate, but in the next election in 1968, he defeated McElroy by 6000 votes.