Les Mills was a founding father of fitness who blazed a trail in sport, business, politics and life. A versatile sportsman, successful business owner, inspiring leader, and former Mayor of Auckland, Leslie Roy Mills MBE, CNZM laid the foundations for a movement that has inspired millions around the world to fall in love with fitness — a legacy that lives on in every workout. The first inklings of Les Mills’ remarkable strength and determination came at just 11-years-old. Born in 1934, he was a skinny boy from Grey Lynn dealing with the recent death of his father when he competed in his first event. A recruiter from the local athletics club had dropped by his Sunday school and held a trial run around the park. Les set off like a rocket and finished 50 yards ahead of the pack. It was the first of his many wins at Western Suburbs Athletic Club, which went on to become the strongest club in New Zealand. Mills was naturally fast with a fierce desire to win, and also extremely eager to learn. As a young sportsman, he became obsessed with gyms, strength training and physical culture. He consumed as much information as he could on the topic, following the Charles Atlas strength training programe and subscribing to the most progressive thinking about how to build muscle. This passion complemented his athletic talents and helped him grow into a very powerful athlete. Whether it was track and field or lifting weights, his ability was exceptional, and he represented his country in both athletics and weightlifting. His sporting prowess was most evident in the shotput and discus. He won numerous national titles and set a national shotput record of 19.81m which endured for 44 years. He competed for New Zealand and was a finalist in track and field at four Olympic Games (Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964, Mexico 1968 and Munich 1972) and four Commonwealth Games (Cardiff 1958, Perth 1962, Jamaica 1966 and Edinburgh 1978). Getty ImagesLes Mills of New Zealand competes in the Men's Shot Put competition on 17th October 1964 during the XVIII Summer Olympic Games at the National Stadium in Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) It was while performing at the highest level, that Les made his first foray into business. At just 19 and newly married, he established a shoe shop with his wife Colleen, who was also a track and field athlete competing on the world stage. Within just a few years, Les and Colleen had grown their business into a chain of shoe and home appliance stores. They were following in the entrepreneurial footsteps of Les’ father, a butcher who cultivated a chain of stores by the time he was 30. Although he worked 60 hours a week to support his retail businesses, Les still found time for intensive training. He knew there was no shortcut to success and spent endless hours at Grey Lynn Park hurling the shot into the mud. He would throw until his fingers bled and still keep going. The deep calluses on his hands endured for many years after his athletics career ended. Matching his physical training with academic study, Les secured an athletics scholarship in the States, and in 1962 the adventurous family made an ambitious move overseas. While in the US Les witnessed a sunrise culture of gyms emerging and was excited by the opportunity to take athletic training to the masses. After two years abroad, and with his retail businesses struggling in his absence, the family returned to New Zealand and Les began scoping his future in fitness. He got wind of a small Auckland health studio that was struggling, so he paid $5000 to take over the operation, launching his first gym in 1968. In the early days, the Les Mills World of Fitness was a simple operation. Basic strength and cardio training for a small community of athletes. Back then, the small basement gym had a single set of changing rooms and toilets and ran alternate days for men and women. Les and his wife Colleen worked full-time, with their school-aged children, Phillip and Donna, helping by wiping down machines and handing out magazines. The family made a living, but not much more. When Les wrapped up his career in competitive athletics, he moved abroad and became the National Sports Director in Papua New Guinea from 1974-76. Back in Auckland, Les took on a short stint as National Director of Coaching for Athletics New Zealand. He was a New Zealand Team Coach for the Edmonton Commonwealth Games in 1978 and a founder of the New Zealand Sports Foundation, an organisation designed to develop international sporting champions. Mills coached and managed hundreds of young Kiwi athletes. Notably, coaching Beatrice Faumuina to the 1997 world discus title, the 1998 Commonwealth Crown and the New Zealand discus record. In 1998 he was awarded Halberg Coach of the Year. Les has also been an international weightlifting referee and in 1999 was chairman of the Board of Directors organizing the FIFA Under-17 World Football Championship in New Zealand. He was New Zealand’s Chef de Mission for the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Mills was determined to take Les Mills World of Fitness to the next level and in 1979 he shifted the gym from its original locale to the much bigger Victoria St site. Then, when son Phillip returned from a US Track and Field scholarship buzzing about the aerobics phenomenon taking off in California, Les bought into the vision and the first Les Mills group fitness studio was born. Colleen, Phillip and Phillip’s wife Jackie led the charge, creating the many and varied Les Mills group workouts that are loved around the world to this day. After passing the gym baton to his son Phillip, Les had the opportunity to pursue his political passions. He was elected Mayor of Auckland City in 1990, a position he held for three terms. During his eight years as mayor of New Zealand’s biggest city, he oversaw the merger of different district councils into one supercity. Major infrastructure such as Waterfront 2000, the America’s Cup Village at the Viaduct and the Sky Tower and Casino were also brought to life during his tenure. He shaped a policy to revive the heart of the city and developed the controversial Britomart Transport Project, bringing a major rail hub back into the city and reviving 11 key heritage buildings. In 2002 Mills was recognized in the Queen’s Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honors and made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to local government and sport. This complemented the earlier 1973 Queen’s Birthday Honors appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to sport. In 2022, together with his son Phillip and daughter-in-law Jackie Mills, he was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame. Colleen Mills died in 2005. Les Mills died on June 29, aged 91. He is survived by his children Phillip and Donna, grandchildren Diana, Les Jr, Gabriel and Moana, plus many great-grandchildren. — Supplied
