The launch on March 30 will bring Business Hunter into line with its affiliate organisation Business NSW, which rebranded in 2020 as part of a restructure that also created new online resources entity Business Australia.

Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes said the move reflected "a more contemporary and diverse image" for the group, which represents 3000-plus businesses and organisations. This comprises members of about 20 aligned local chambers across 10 local government areas, core and Hunter First members (including Port of Newcastle and Newcastle Airport) and Business Australia members.

"While the Hunter Business Chamber is a strong brand ... and we are very proud of our history of representing business in the Hunter for more than 135 years, the name does have more of an association with the past," Mr Hawes said.

"Modern business organisations are no longer chambers of commerce meeting around mahogany tables; they are vibrant and forward-looking, representing members across the business spectrum, from start-ups to SMEs to large corporations."

The organisation harks back to 1886, when a group met at the Great Northern Hotel to form a Chamber of Commerce. The first president was R.B Wallace and among those at early meetings were coal baron John Brown and George Frederick Earp of Earp Brothers. William Arnott, whose biscuit business became a national icon, was an early member.

The impetus was to boost the status of Newcastle as a shipping and trading stronghold. An excerpt from the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate on January 8, 1886, notes: "It may safely be advanced that a more important step, or one more directly conducive to the commercial progress of the city of Newcastle, has never been taken..."

Business Hunter senior vice president Lauren Eyles said in a rapidly changing world, it was "more important than ever" that the business community is united.