Selina Nunn
From herding cows in Blenheim to line-dancing in Texas, it’s been a string of global adventures for Kiwi actor Jono Kenyon and his gorgeous girlfriend Tara Erenskjold. And as they mark 18 months together, the couple say their easy, fun relationship can be credited to throwing the dating rules aside and diving right in. It’s why Tara didn’t hesitate to tell the former Step Dave, Go Girls and 800 Words star that she was crushing on him after they met at a friend’s Christmas quiz night in 2023.
“He’s a really striking man, so obviously I was into him,” laughs Tara, who grew up in Christchurch, before travelling the world as a flight attendant. “I told him the next day, which was ballsy.”
“It was refreshing,” adds Jono, 35, who moved from England to Marlborough with his family at 13. “There were no games, no playing hard to get or waiting two days to text back.”
Their first date, in Auckland, turned into 12 hours of bonding over their similar family backgrounds and sense of humour.
Tara, 27, says, “We’ve pretty much seen each other every day since. I just loved how Jono loves life and exploring.”
Eight weeks later, they flew to Hawai’i. Chuckles Jono, “We figured we were either gonna come home sitting next to each other on the plane or not!”
After surviving their first vacation, just five months into their relationship, the couple shacked up on a farm in Blenheim.
“We were caring for a herd of cows, moving them from paddock to paddock at 5am,” he says.
“That was a grounding experience – and Tara looked great in a pair of gumboots!”
Tara adds they “didn’t think twice” about swiftly moving in together. “That’s been the whole thing with us – we just go, ‘Let’s do this!’ The next step has always felt natural and never like a risk.”
Next up was settling in Christchurch to be closer to family, including Jono’s sister, two nephews and his mum Paula. The star, who pursued acting in LA before COVID, says Paula’s his best friend, so he’s thrilled she’s hit it off with Tara. Noting how his girlfriend “talks to my mum more than I do”, and that she’s made him want to “mature and evolve”.
Smiles Tara, “I’ve always wanted a family, so Jono taking the leap and moving to Christchurch was a big step in our relationship because it meant we’re focusing more on our families. It was massive for him. Going from LA to Christchurch is a big change!”
The couple still enjoys travelling, having visited Taipei, Bali and Texas recently. It helps that Tara still works for Air New Zealand. While her job can take a toll, Jono’s always supportive.
Shares Tara, “When I land from a 19-hour shift, he cooks, helps me out and handles the mood swings that come with jet lag.”
That support goes both ways, with Tara describing Jono as an “incredible actor”. She’s so excited about his role in the upcoming episode of Kiwi crime series The Brokenwood Mysteries. Jono jokes she could be the show’s publicist!
“I tend to play roles that are comedy-driven or the nice, relatable guy, so it was fun to be a character with a dark side and some baggage,” says Jono. “I hope I can do more mature, gritty characters.”
Viewers will remember Jono as titular bartender Dave in Step Dave. Almost 10 years since the comedy wrapped, he credits the role for honing his acting skills. Reflects Jono, “Having to lead a show was baptism by fire at 24 years old. Nothing gets that acting muscle flexing like being on set doing your fifth take at 9pm after you’ve already done a 13-hour day!”
He recently saw his Step Dave love interest Sia Trokenheim, who played “cougar” mum Cara, while driving through Auckland. Laughs Jono, “She waved back, but I don’t know if she was being polite or if she recognised me!”
While he loves working on Kiwi shows, he’s still auditioning for US roles. During his time in Hollywood, he landed a gig in a pilot by Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes but struggled with the constant hustle.
“Someone told me 200,000 actors fly in each month,” he says.
“It feels like you’re on a wheel with all these mice, and every now and then, one mouse gets through. I got a taste of that with the pilot, which unfortunately didn’t go to series. But it made me appreciate that so much of acting is outside your control. “You can be the best actor, but if you’re one inch too short to match the leading lady, you miss out. So many stars have to align and often the only way to get those stars to align is through perseverance.”
Jono’s episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries screens 8.30pm Sunday on TVNZ 1 and streams on TVNZ+.
