Les Mills

Les Mills CNZM MBE
Mills (right) at the 1960 Olympics
36th Mayor 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 82) Auckland, New Zealand
Spouse(s)	Colleen Maree Mills (d. 2005)
Children	Phillip Mills Donna Mills
Sports career
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Shot put, discus throw
Club	Auckland
Sports achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Shot put – 19.80 m (1967) Discus – 61.52 m (1971)
Medal record Representing  New Zealand Men's athletics Commonwealth Games 1958 Cardiff Discus throw 1966 Kingston Discus throw 1966 Kingston Shot put 1970 Edinburgh Discus throw 1970 Edinburgh Shot put

Leslie Roy "Les" Mills CNZM MBE (born 1 November 1934) is a retired New Zealand track and field athlete and politician. He represented New Zealand at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games over two decades, competing in the shot put and discus throw. At the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games he achieved his best result, a gold medal in the discus.

Mills opened his first gym in 1968 and gives his name to Les Mills International, a company founded by his son Phillip Mills. He was Mayor of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, from 1990 to 1998.

Mills trained New Zealand throwers, such as Beatrice Faumuina. His personal best for the shot put was a New Zealand national record for 44 years, until 16-year-old Jacko Gill broke it on 23 April 2011 with a throw of 20.01 m

Mills served as the Mayor of Auckland City between 1990 and 1998. His Mayoral term commenced with a by-election in 1990 after the resignation of Dame Catherine Tizard, who had been appointed Governor-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. The Aotea 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.