diff --git a/CHANGES.current b/CHANGES.current
index 9adecb8d6..6233bb0e4 100644
--- a/CHANGES.current
+++ b/CHANGES.current
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ the issue number to the end of the URL: https://github.com/swig/swig/issues/
 Version 4.0.0 (in progress)
 ===========================
 
+2018-12-20: chlandsi
+            [Python] #1357. Fix overriding __new__ in Python 3.6.
+
+            Fixes SystemError: Objects/tupleobject.c:81: bad argument to internal function"
+
 2018-12-16: wsfulton
             [Python] #848 #1343 The module import logic has changed to stop obfuscating real ImportError
             problems. Only one import of the low-level C/C++ module from the pure Python module is
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/python/python_pythoncode_runme.py b/Examples/test-suite/python/python_pythoncode_runme.py
index da238780d..c27f4452d 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/python/python_pythoncode_runme.py
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/python/python_pythoncode_runme.py
@@ -3,3 +3,7 @@ import python_pythoncode
 # No need to actually do anything, this is a regression test for a bug which
 # caused an invalid python_pythoncode.py to be generated, so if we can import
 # it the bug is still fixed.
+
+# A later test enhancement checking __new__ requires some code...
+f = python_pythoncode.get_foo()
+f = python_pythoncode.Foo()
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/python_pythoncode.i b/Examples/test-suite/python_pythoncode.i
index 70474d44c..8191aa121 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/python_pythoncode.i
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/python_pythoncode.i
@@ -29,3 +29,33 @@ struct TYPE2 {
 struct TYPE { };
 struct TYPE2 { };
 %}
+
+
+// Overriding __new__ test: https://github.com/swig/swig/pull/1357
+%inline %{
+class Foo {
+  public:
+    virtual ~Foo() {}
+    Foo() {}
+};
+
+Foo* get_foo() {return new Foo();}
+%}
+
+%pythoncode %{
+    print_debug = True
+%}
+
+%extend Foo {
+    // Note that %pythoncode is not available with -builtin
+    %pythoncode %{
+    def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs):
+        if print_debug:
+            print('in Foo.__new__()')
+        return super(Foo, cls).__new__(cls)
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        if print_debug:
+            print('in Foo.__init__()')
+    %}
+};
diff --git a/Lib/python/pyrun.swg b/Lib/python/pyrun.swg
index 32ce2d923..7f0502198 100644
--- a/Lib/python/pyrun.swg
+++ b/Lib/python/pyrun.swg
@@ -1191,12 +1191,16 @@ SWIG_Python_NewShadowInstance(SwigPyClientData *data, PyObject *swig_this)
 #if PY_VERSION_HEX >= 0x03000000
     PyObject *empty_args = PyTuple_New(0);
     if (empty_args) {
-      inst = ((PyTypeObject *)data->newargs)->tp_new((PyTypeObject *)data->newargs, empty_args, Py_None);
-      Py_DECREF(empty_args);
-      if (inst) {
-        PyObject_SetAttr(inst, SWIG_This(), swig_this);
-        Py_TYPE(inst)->tp_flags &= ~Py_TPFLAGS_VALID_VERSION_TAG;
+      PyObject *empty_kwargs = PyDict_New();
+      if (empty_kwargs) {
+        inst = ((PyTypeObject *)data->newargs)->tp_new((PyTypeObject *)data->newargs, empty_args, empty_kwargs);
+        Py_DECREF(empty_kwargs);
+        if (inst) {
+          PyObject_SetAttr(inst, SWIG_This(), swig_this);
+          Py_TYPE(inst)->tp_flags &= ~Py_TPFLAGS_VALID_VERSION_TAG;
+        }
       }
+      Py_DECREF(empty_args);
     }
 #else
     PyObject *dict = PyDict_New();