A 40-year-old man will appear Port Macquarie Local Court today subsequently charged with one count each of murder and attempted murder. He has been refused bail.

Emergency services were called to a unit complex in Sea St just before 9am where they found a 29-year-old man with stab wounds to the face, chest and stomach.

The woman was stabbed in the stomach.

The victims were taken to Kempsey District Hospital where the man died soon afterwards.

The 31-year-old woman remains in a serious but stable condition after being transferred to Port Macquarie Hospital.

A neighbour said she heard a lot of noise coming from the unit, but was distracted by nearby school children walking to school.

“There was lots of arguing and yelling that lasted a while,” the woman said.

“I went into my backyard to see if I could see but couldn’t so I came back out the front and saw the lady across the road’s face, it was horrific,” she said.

Police are appealing for anyone who saw or heard anything out of the ordinary in the area yesterday morning to contact them.

Anyone with information to assist detectives should phone them at Kempsey Police Station on 6563 7199 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.