A man trying to remove willow trees from a farm in rural Tararua has been airlifted to Palmerston North Hospital with moderate injuries.
The Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter was called to the remote area, near Route 52, Herbertville, about 1pm on Wednesday.
A rescue helicopter spokesman said the crew had arrived at the scene to find a man in his 40s who had been trapped in his digger by a large branch that had fallen off one of the trees during the work.
The man was flown to hospital with chest and pelvic injuries, he said.