Les Mills | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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36th Mayor of Auckland City | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 1990–1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Catherine Tizard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Christine Fletcher | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Leslie Roy Mills 1 November 1934 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal best(s) | Shot put –19.80 m (1967) Discus –61.52 m (1971) [1] [2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Leslie Roy Mills CNZM MBE JP (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. He won a total of five medals at the Commonwealth Games including gold in the discus at the 1966 Games. [1]
Mills opened his first gym in 1968, [3] giving his name to Les Mills International, a fitness-centric company founded by his son Phillip Mills. [4] Mills later went on to serve as the Mayor of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, from 1990 to 1998.
Mills has trained New Zealand throwers including 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. [6]
Mills served as the Mayor of Auckland City between 1990 and 1998. [7] 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.
Other major events during Mills' tenure included work commencing on the America's Cup Village at the Auckland viaduct, the commencement and opening of the Sky Tower and Casino complex that now dominates the Auckland skyline, the redevelopment of the Civic theatre, and refurbishment of the Auckland Town Hall.
During this period, the 1998 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 successor Christine Fletcher led plans for a scaled down Britomart Station without the large property development plans.
Mills was defeated in a three-way contest against businessman Richard Holden and eventual winner Christine Fletcher in 1998. Mills himself was absent for most of the election campaign, leading the New Zealand team at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, and mentoring the gold medal-winning discus thrower Beatrice Faumuina.
In the 1973 Queen's Birthday Honours, Mills was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to sport. [8] In the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, he was made a Companion 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-law Jackie Mills were jointly inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame. [10]
Beatrice Roini Liua Faumuina is a former New Zealand discus thrower.
Dame Valerie Kasanita Adams is a retired New Zealand shot putter. She is a four-time World champion, four-time World Indoor champion, two-time Olympic, three-time Commonwealth Games champion and twice IAAF Continental Cup winner. She has a personal best throw of 21.24 metres outdoors and 20.98 m indoors. These marks are Oceanian, Commonwealth and New Zealand national records. She also holds the Oceanian junior record (18.93 m) and the Oceanian youth record (17.54 m), as well as the World Championships record, World Indoor Championships record and Commonwealth Games record.
Dame Yvette Winifred Corlett was a New Zealand track-and-field athlete who was the first woman from her country to win an Olympic gold medal and to hold the world record in the women's long jump. Williams was named "Athlete of the Century" on the 100th anniversary of Athletics New Zealand, in 1987.
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Valerie Isobel Marie Young is a former athlete from New Zealand. She competed at the 1958, 1962, 1966, and 1974 Commonwealth Games, and won seven medals in the shot put and discus throw. She retired after the 1966 games to have a family, but went back into training when the 1974 Games were allocated to Christchurch. She also competed at the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Summer Olympics, and went to the 1976 and 1984 games as an official (chaperone). She placed fourth in the shot put in 1960 and 1964, and fifth in 1956.
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Robin Douglas Tait was a discus thrower, who represented New Zealand at two Summer Olympics: 1968 and 1972.
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