Aubrey Robinson was born in Canterbury, New Zealand on October 17, 1853. His father was Charles Barrington Robinson and mother was Helen Sinclair. His grandmother, Elizabeth McHutchison (1800–1892), also spelled McHutcheson, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, married Francis Sinclair in 1824 and moved to New Zealand in 1840 with their six children.
Robinson was educated at home and attended the Boston University School of Law and was admitted to the bar in eastern courts.
When they arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in September 1863, King Kamehameha IV suggested they stay and purchase some land. Although the King soon died, the family purchased the entire island of Niʻihau from King Kamehameha V for United States$10,000 on January 23, 1864. In 1865, Eliza Sinclair purchased the ahupuaʻa of Makaweli (21,844 ac) from Victoria Kamāmalu Ka‘ahumanu for $15,000.
Their island of Niʻihau was used exclusively by Gay & Robinson for grazing cattle, as was much of their Makaweli estate.
Robinson raised pure-bred sheep and cattle, and imported strains of Merino sheep and shorthorn cattle from the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Robinson developed the Makaweli sugar plantation on Kauaʻi, on which the Hawaiian Sugar Company leased about 6,000 acres (24 km2).
Besides this land the firm of Gay & Robinson had a sugar plantation of more than 1,000 acres (40 km2) on the same estate. In 1884, Robinson imported purebred Arabian horses.
Robinson took an active interest in church and missionary work both in Hawaii and abroad.
