A 50-year-old motorbike rider is in Waikato Hospital after a crash near Te Aroha today.

The Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter was sent to the scene of a van versus motorbike crash on Te Aroha-Gordon Road, just south of Te Aroha.

The Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter treating a man who was thrown from his motorbike. Photo: Supplied.

The rider lost control of his bike after the vehicles clipped each other. The man sustained compression injuries to his chest after he was thrown off his bike and ended up in a ditch.

He was flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.