The 51-year-old man died from two stab wounds to his upper stomach at a home in the Maitland suburb of Tenambit despite paramedics' efforts to save him, police say.

Police officers attended the address on Saturday evening where a 23-year-old woman was not present but arrived shortly after.

Detective Acting Inspector Ranald Urquhart said the man and woman were family members.

"This is being treated as a domestic violence murder," he told reporters on Sunday.

Witnesses to the incident were present at the time and are assisting detectives with their inquiries.

Police are still investigating what lead to the incident while the man who died was already known to police.

The woman was arrested at the scene and later charged with murder, and is due to appear before Newcastle Bail Court on Sunday.

Australian Associated Press