Les Mills CNZM MBE JP
36thMayor of Auckland City
In office 1990–1998
Preceded by	Catherine Tizard
Succeeded by	Christine Fletcher
Personal details
Born	Leslie Roy Mills (1934-11-01)1 November 1934 (age 90) Auckland, New Zealand
Spouse	Colleen Maree Mills (d. 2005)
Children	Phillip Mills Donna Mills
Sports career
Height	188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	121 kg (267 lb)
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Shot put,discus throw
Club	Auckland
Sports achievements and titles
Personalbest(s)	Shot put – 19.80 m (1967) Discus – 61.52 m (1971)[1][2]
Medal record Men'sathletics Representing New Zealand Commonwealth Games 1958 Cardiff Discus throw 1966 Kingston Discus throw 1966 Kingston Shot put 1970 Edinburgh Discus throw 1970 Edinburgh Shot put

Leslie Roy MillsCNZM MBE JP (born 1 November 1934) is a New Zealand retiredtrack and field athlete, businessman, and politician. He represented New Zealand at theOlympic Games andCommonwealth Games over two decades, competing in theshot put anddiscus throw. He won a total of five medals at the Commonwealth Games including gold in the discus at the1966 Games.^[1]

Mills opened his first gym in 1968,^[3] giving his name to Les Mills International, a fitness-centric company founded by his sonPhillip Mills.^[4] Mills later went on to serve as theMayor of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, from 1990 to 1998.

• 1952: Wins New Zealand Junior shot put and discus titles
• 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games: discus, silver medal^[1]
• 1960 Summer Olympics: Captain and flagbearer for the New Zealand Team.^[5] Placed 11th in the shot put, and 28th in the discus.^[1]
• 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games: 5th place discus, 6th place shot put.^[1]
• 1964 Summer Olympics: 7th place shot put.^[1]
• 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games: gold medal discus, silver medal shot put.^[1]
• 1968 Summer Olympics: Competed injured, 11th place shot put.^[1]
• 1970 British Commonwealth Games: silver medal in the discus and a bronze in shot put.^[1]
• 1972 Summer Olympics: Olympic flagbearer for New Zealand.^[5] 14th place discus, 23rd shot put.^[1]
• 1974–1976 National Sports Director ofPapua New Guinea.
• 1977–1979 First Director of Coaching in Athletics for New Zealand.
• 1978 Commonwealth Games New Zealand Coach.

Mills has trained New Zealand throwers includingBeatrice Faumuina. His personal best for the shot put was aNew Zealand national record for 44 years, until 16-year-oldJacko Gill broke it on 23 April 2011 with a throw of 20.01 m.^[6]

Mills served as theMayor of Auckland City between 1990 and 1998.^[7] His Mayoral term commenced with aby-election in 1990 after the resignation of DameCatherine Tizard, who had been appointedGovernor-General. The new council had been formed following local body amalgamation in 1989 which saw many of the district borough councils merged into one larger city. Mills' first term oversaw the merger of these many district boroughs into one city. TheAotea Centre was also opened at the beginning of his term. Other initiatives which commenced on Mills' watch as Mayor included the introduction of the green "wheelie bins", metered user charges for water use, council assets like golf courses were leased to private management, and the city also quit some assets that no longer were of priority, like its abattoir.

Other major events during Mills' tenure included work commencing on theAmerica's Cup Village at the Auckland viaduct, the commencement and opening of theSky Tower and Casino complex that now dominates the Auckland skyline, the redevelopment of theCivic theatre, and refurbishment of theAuckland Town Hall.

During this period, the1998 Auckland power crisis occurred, which shut down most of the inner city. Mills'Britomart Transport Centre plans also came under some criticism as being too focused on property development and not enough on transport. His successorChristine Fletcher led plans for a scaled down Britomart Station without the large property development plans.

Mills was defeated in a three-way contest against businessmanRichard Holden and eventual winnerChristine Fletcher in 1998. Mills himself was absent for most of the election campaign, leading the New Zealand team at the1998 Commonwealth Games, and mentoring the gold medal-winning discus throwerBeatrice Faumuina.

In the1973 Queen's Birthday Honours, Mills was appointed aMember of the Order of the British Empire, for services to sport.^[8] In the2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, he was made aCompanion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to local government and sport.^[9]

In 2022, Mills and his son Phillip and daughter-in-lawJackie Mills were jointly inducted into theNew Zealand Business Hall of Fame.^[10]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toLes Mills.

• Les Mills at theNew Zealand Olympic Committee
• Les Mills atOlympics.com
• Les Mills atOlympedia

• 1934 births
• Living people
• New Zealand male discus throwers
• New Zealand male shot putters
• Olympic athletes for New Zealand
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics
• Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand
• Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand
• Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand
• Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games
• Mayors of Auckland
• Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit
• New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire
• New Zealand sportsperson-politicians
• New Zealand justices of the peace
• Medallists at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
• Medallists at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
• Medallists at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games
• New Zealand Athletics Championships winners
• 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen

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