The event takes place next weekend on October 13-15, at various locations around Dunedin.
Jacinta Ruru and Angela Wanhalla are the Māori curators for the festival, helping to organise and incorporate tikanga Māori.
It is the first time the event has had Māori curators.
The theme of this year’s festival is Te Pūao, which means the place where the river meets the sea.
"The idea of the place where the river meets the sea is an opportunity to bring together diverse voices in history," Ms Wanhalla said.
It related strongly to Otago Harbour, the moving of water and the sharing of ideas in and out of Dunedin.
To Ms Ruru, the theme was an "incredible opportunity to bring us deeply here to Ōtepoti and really understand this place and what this place means in terms of connection and coming together."
Joining the festival is Māori writer Witi Ihimaera, who is this year celebrating 50 years as a published author.
Having him take part in the festival was "really special", Ms Ruru said.
"He's an author that changed my life when I was aged 15 at school."
The event would also be a chance to acknowledge a century since Katherine Mansfield’s death in 1923.
A wide range of Māori writers are involved this year, alongside the New Zealand writers, to promote a deeper understanding of Māori knowledge.
"Māori have amazing imaginations for telling the stories of our past, present and future and our role as human beings and our responsibilities to the lands, waters and to one another," Ms Ruru said.
Ms Wanhalla felt it was important for Māori to tell their stories because there had been "a history where that [had] not been possible".
"It's really important for us, putting together this programme, that yes, there's a Māori spine and heart to it, but those stories that people are telling actually mean something to everyone."
The festival starts at Ōtākou Marae and includes presentations at the Regent Theatre, the Dunedin Public Art Gallery Auditorium, Te Whare o Rukutia, the Community Gallery, the Athenaeum Library and the Dunedin City Library across the three days.
