diff --git a/CHANGES.current b/CHANGES.current
index a72f31f31..3421669de 100644
--- a/CHANGES.current
+++ b/CHANGES.current
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ See the RELEASENOTES file for a summary of changes in each release.
 Version 3.0.11 (in progress)
 ============================
 
+2016-12-18: wsfulton
+            Zero initialize arrays when using %array_class and %array_functions.
+
 2016-12-18: t-ikegami
             [Python] Fix https://github.com/swig/swig/issues/446
             Python %array_class of carrays.i failed with -builtin option.
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/python/li_cpointer_cpp_runme.py b/Examples/test-suite/python/li_cpointer_cpp_runme.py
index c49e9fc28..c763b85b8 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/python/li_cpointer_cpp_runme.py
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/python/li_cpointer_cpp_runme.py
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@ from li_cpointer_cpp import *
 
 
 p = new_intp()
+
+if intp_value(p) != 0:
+    raise RuntimeError("not initialized")
+
 intp_assign(p, 3)
 
 if intp_value(p) != 3:
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/python/li_cpointer_runme.py b/Examples/test-suite/python/li_cpointer_runme.py
index 1565069cf..f0ec99060 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/python/li_cpointer_runme.py
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/python/li_cpointer_runme.py
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@ from li_cpointer import *
 
 
 p = new_intp()
+
+if intp_value(p) != 0:
+    raise RuntimeError("not initialized")
+
 intp_assign(p, 3)
 
 if intp_value(p) != 3:
diff --git a/Lib/typemaps/swigmacros.swg b/Lib/typemaps/swigmacros.swg
index 778502d43..3a63a256c 100644
--- a/Lib/typemaps/swigmacros.swg
+++ b/Lib/typemaps/swigmacros.swg
@@ -157,14 +157,14 @@ nocppval
  * ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
 #if defined(__cplusplus)
-# define %new_instance(Type...)             (new Type)
+# define %new_instance(Type...)             (new Type())
 # define %new_copy(val,Type...)             (new Type(%static_cast(val, const Type&)))
 # define %new_array(size,Type...)           (new Type[size]())
 # define %new_copy_array(ptr,size,Type...)  %reinterpret_cast(memcpy(new Type[size], ptr, sizeof(Type)*(size)), Type*)
 # define %delete(cptr)                      delete cptr
 # define %delete_array(cptr)                delete[] cptr
 #else /* C case */
-# define %new_instance(Type...)             (Type *)malloc(sizeof(Type))
+# define %new_instance(Type...)             (Type *)calloc(1,sizeof(Type))
 # define %new_copy(val,Type...)             (Type *)memcpy(%new_instance(Type),&val,sizeof(Type))
 # define %new_array(size,Type...)           (Type *)calloc(size, sizeof(Type))
 # define %new_copy_array(ptr,size,Type...)  (Type *)memcpy(malloc((size)*sizeof(Type)), ptr, sizeof(Type)*(size))