The Upper Clutha A and P Society could be considered as a host for the Royal New Zealand Show, which is without a home after reaching an impasse over brand ownership with the Canterbury A and P Association.

The Upper Clutha A and P Show is the second largest in the South Island, behind Canterbury, but it would need to add more facilities at the Wanaka showgrounds to be able to cope with the extra demands of hosting a Royal Show.

Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) of New Zealand chief executive Debbie Cameron said the Canterbury A and P Association had last month "walked away" from discussions to host the Royal Show until 2012.

The RAS is an umbrella organisation for A and P associations around the country.

Its executive committee was scheduled to meet in February to decide their next move in the search for a new host for the Royal Show, Ms Cameron said.

While she was not prepared to "pre-empt" any judgement by the RAS executive over how the decision over a new Royal Show host would be arrived at, it was possible that a tender process might be implemented.

The Upper Clutha A and P Society would be welcome to submit a bid to host the Royal Show, "as would any A and P association", Ms Cameron said.

Before the three-year hosting agreement with the Canterbury A and P Association, between 2006-09, the Royal Show had been rotated on an annual basis among A and P associations in five centres - Canterbury, Southland, Hawkes Bay, Waikato and Manawatu.

Christchurch had been announced as the Royal Show host - a cornerstone of the city's cup and show week - until 2012, but that had changed, Ms Cameron said.

The Upper Clutha A and P society had hosted a "very successful and impressive" royal event two years ago, she said.

There was "nothing to my knowledge" that would preclude Wanaka from hosting a Royal Show, Ms Cameron said.

There are two royal events being hosted this year, by the A and P associations of Mackenzie Country and Waikato, while Auckland would retain its annual Royal Easter Show, she said.

Upper Clutha A and P Society president Phil Hunt said more infrastructure would be needed at the Wanaka showgrounds to enable it to host a Royal Show.

Two years of planning had gone into the 2008 Upper Clutha A and P royal event by association members and "much more" would be needed for the larger-scale Royal Show.

"We don't have the facilities at the Wanaka Showgrounds to house large numbers of pigs, poultry and dairy cattle," he said.

Installing such facilities would be difficult and costly for a "one-off" occasion, Mr Hunt said.

Event schedules for the 2010 Upper Clutha show had been finalised and mailed out to association members, he said.

The Royal New Zealand Show could remain without a home in 2010 if no association came forward to host it.

The RAS executive would consider its future options at its committee meeting next month, Ms Cameron said.