Director Val Lott confirmed Miss Christchurch would be the only South Island entrant in the annual beauty pageant, which is to be held in Wellington on Sunday.
"We want one [Otago entrant] for next year."
The omission was not a snub but reflected the difficulties in finding regional co-ordinators, Mrs Lott, who took over the reins of Miss Universe in 2007, said.
"But we want people who are keen to do it."
This year's contest will be decided from 13 women hailing from Auckland, North Harbour, Howick, Wellington, Hutt Valley, Manawatu, Horowhenua and Christchurch.
The event no longer attracted the television coverage of its heyday, which culminated in Lorraine Downes being crowned Miss Universe in 1983, and "it is shame they have gone away from it. People just love to see girls from their area."
The Miss Universe pageant had been undergoing a "real resurgence over the past five years".
The winner of Miss New Zealand will compete in the 60th Miss Universe competition in Sao Paulo, Brazil, later this year.
One person who knows all about the pressures of Miss Universe is Kristy Jennings, of Wanaka.
The former Miss North Otago won the national title in 1999 before competing in the Miss Universe contest in Trinidad and Tobago, won by Mpule Kwelagobe, of Botswana.
While the contest was "amazing and surreal", she admitted to being slightly embarrassed by the experience. "People have an impression what a Miss New Zealand should be like ... and I am not that person."
Apart from being asked questions such as "the person she would most like to meet" (the Dalai Lama), she recalled meeting the current owner of the Miss Universe franchise, Donald Trump.
The American business tycoon was at the Miss Universe pageant when he came over to meet the former Miss Otago.
"I can always say I met him."
