Online daters say no to cigarettes

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Kiwi singles looking for love online are making non-smokers their number one priority, a dating website has revealed.

Trade Me's online dating website FindSomeone has found most singles are looking for a non-smoking, casual drinker with no kids.

Head of FindSomeone Rick Davies said non-smoking had become the most important thing for both men and women seeking prospective partners.

"Most people want a non-smoker and it makes sense. Smoking is on its way out in society and I think it's not a great thought to spend your years with somebody that is putting their time and money into smoking."

Teaming up with a non-smoker would also help some people who were doing their best to quit, Mr Davies said.

"If somebody's trying to quit ... perhaps they're not absolutely proud of it and maybe what they need is a non-smoker to throw it in."

A typical male who is looking to date online would enjoy a casual drink, be of NZ European descent, have brown hair, and be a non-smoking atheist.

"The typical female online dater in New Zealand is also most likely to be a casual drinking non-smoker, but is more likely to have children," Mr Davies said.

"... both sexes prefer a non-smoker. Men prefer blondes, while women prefer blokes with brown hair," Mr Davies said.

The explosion in mobile use was another notable trend at this time of year.

"People are connected everywhere now. In the past you might have been online dating when you were sitting at home on a Sunday night. Now you're flicking messages off while you're sitting on the beach on your summer holiday."

Being the "resolution period", New Year saw the most traffic of any time of year, he said.

"People are reflecting on a year gone by and working out how they're going to get what they want out of the year ... the site goes absolutely nuts. Like clockwork on January 1, we'll see a big spike in activity."

Messages exchanged on Christmas Day also shot up 92 per cent compared with Christmas Day in 2012.

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What women want

1. Non-smoker

2. Casual drinker

3. No kids

4. NZ European

5. Christian

...

What men want

1. Non-smoker

2. No kids

3. Casual drinker

4. NZ European

5. Blonde hair