Young farmers flock to new dating app seeking long-term connections

The new dating app for rural New Zealand, Howdy, is proving popular in the wake of its launch, with 1800 downloads and counting - adding to the more than 30,000 users on the platform across the Tasman.

About 1000 of those with registered accounts in New Zealand are aged between 24 and 45, and 600 of them between 18 and 25.

Howdy founder, Australian Mia Ryan, a 24-year-old farmer and university student, says rural life can be lonely at times and Howdy aims to connect like-minded people.

"Everyone's like-minded and it's just a nicer process, and it seems to be that people are on there for the right reasons," she says.

"I can't speak for everyone, but the experience in the last few years since we launched is that people that go on Howdy have used the other dating apps and are still single, so they've gone to Howdy for something that's actually long-term and meaningful.

"It's not about a quick fix."

Unlike other apps, Howdy gets users to scroll, rather than swipe, potential matches. They can also set a radius of their local area or further afield.

"There are people that want that lifestyle, so if you're not technically living in a rural area but might [be] open to meeting someone who is, you can jump on Howdy," Mia Ryan says.

"If you wanted to meet someone in the bush, in Australia, then go for it."

New Zealand Young Farmers partnered with Howdy for the app's expansion into New Zealand, and chief executive Cheyne Gillooly describes it as the latest dating tech meeting the country's oldest rural dating agency.

He says it's absolutely gone off on local clubs' social media accounts.

"We're now at over 1.9 million impressions since it launched, people are signing up, and we're now having events being planned," he says.

"It was everywhere at Fieldays, it was fun."

Gillooly says the app fits in nicely with balls and other events clubs organise, which are growing in popularity.