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Story: Prisons

Mt Eden riot, 1965

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Mt Eden riot, 1965

An officer from the armed offenders' squad looks on at the riot in Mt Eden Prison, Auckland, in July 1965. Two prisoners made an unsuccessful escape attempt, but in the process released inmates from their cells and took a number of prison officers hostage. Large-scale rioting broke out and much of the interior was burned. The prison was surrounded by armed police and soldiers. The rioters surrendered after 33 hours but Mt Eden became temporarily unusable. Prisoners were moved to other facilities while Mt Eden was repaired.

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Hocken Collections, University of Otago

Reference: S12-108a

Permission of the Hocken Collections Uare Taoka o Hakena, University of Otago, must be obtained before any re-use of this image. Further information may be obtained from the Library through its website.

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How to cite this page

Peter Clayworth, Prisons – Prisons in a changing society, 1949–1990, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/36769/mt-eden-riot-1965 (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by Peter Clayworth, published 11 June 2012.