The 31-year-old Indian man has been waiting for the past five years to qualify for citizenship.
However, Madelyn is already a citizen after being born in New Zealand seven months ago.
''I've been waiting for a long time to become a citizen.
''The youngest member of my family has beaten me to it.''
Mr John Mureekal was delighted he could now call himself a Kiwi, and his wife, Anu Abraham (31), is looking forward to becoming a citizen next year.
The couple are registered nurses with the Southern District Health Board, and moved to New Zealand from Southern India in 2010 to start their family.
''Better opportunities, better life and better place to bring up a family. It's quite a nice place to live - very quiet.''
Mr John Mureekal was one of 24 people sworn in as New Zealand citizens by acting Dunedin deputy mayor David Benson-Pope during a ceremony at the Dunedin Municipal Chambers yesterday.
Other new citizens were: Rachel Andrea Coleman (Britain); Shannon Troy Coop (Australia); Victoria Ferreira Martins Garcia (Brazil); Mollie Bethan Martin (Britain); William Joseph Sharp (Britain); Steven Te (Cambodia); Ruth Van Der Ploeg (The Netherlands); Mohammed Sharuf Yasin (Fiji); Anusha Beer (India); Kaitlin Wade Bishop (United States); Katherine Elizabeth Black (Britain); Daniel Buchanan (United States); Caroline Joy Davies (Britain); Thomas Johannes Marinus Froeling (The Netherlands); Ananda Khanal (Nepal); Brenda Mary, John Bain and Andrew James McCallum (Britain); Ganesh Rout (India); Isaac Theodore John Van Praag Jarrett (Britain); Frederick Warren Wise (United States); Yoko Ashworth (Japan); Warren Richard Biggs (Australia-Britain).
