Les Mills Sr., Olympian and Auckland mayor, dies at 91
The four-time Olympian who opened a tiny Auckland gym in 1968 died at 91, leaving behind a fitness empire used in more than 100 countries.
Les Mills Sr., the four-time Olympian who helped turn a small central Auckland gym into a global group-fitness brand, died peacefully on the morning of 29 June 2026 at 91.
Mills competed in discus and shot put and later served as mayor of Auckland from 1990 to 1998, a public career that made him one of New Zealand’s best-known sporting and civic figures. He and his wife, Colleen, opened the first Les Mills gym on Victoria Street in central Auckland in 1968, planting the seed for a business that would grow far beyond its local roots.
What began as a single gym became the base for a standardized workout system that helped reshape how fitness was packaged and sold worldwide. Les Mills International says the business now spans 23 programs in more than 100 countries, with classes delivered under a single branded format that can be replicated across cities and continents. The company’s history traces that expansion back to the original Auckland gym, which it describes as the hub of a global movement.
That growth accelerated under his son, Phillip Mills, who helped build Les Mills International into the group-fitness brand known for programs such as BODYPUMP and BODYCOMBAT. Company history says BODYPUMP began in 1991 as a dumbbell class in a basement gym, a simple format that became one of the company’s defining exports. The model gave studios a common product to license, instructors a shared script to teach, and gym members the same workout experience whether they were in Auckland, London or Los Angeles.
Tributes from family and the company called Mills a “Kiwi icon” and said his spirit lives on in workouts around the world. The company’s tribute page said he laid the foundations for a movement that inspired millions. Mills is survived by his children Phillip and Donna, grandchildren Diana, Les Jr, Gabriel and Moana, and great-grandchildren.
A memorial service is scheduled for Friday, 3 July, at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell, Auckland.
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