Latest news with #cost reduction
RNZ News
17-07-2025
- Science
- RNZ News
Academic warns over using AI to reduce costs of Regulatory Standards Bill
An academic is warning artificial intelligence is not the silver bullet David Seymour has suggested it will be for reducing the cost of the Regulatory Standards Bill. Victoria University senior lecturer in Artificial Intelligence Andrew Lensen spoke to Charlotte Cook. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov't launches project to rebuild homes destroyed by Iranian missiles
The project will consolidate costs for home renovations across an apartment complex, aiming to reduce the overall cost to residents and the state. The Finance Ministry, Housing Ministry, and Tax Authority issued a joint statement on Tuesday announcing the launch of 'Renovations in Unity,' a project that aims to rebuild and compensate citizens who lost their homes in the Iranian ballistic missile attacks. A joint team of officials from the Finance Ministry, Housing Ministry, Tax Authority, and Israel Builders Association will run the project. It promises a new, innovative framework that will focus on renovating privately owned apartment complexes rather than individual apartments. Each apartment complex will be assigned a single contractor operating under the supervision of the joint team, the local authority, and the property tax authorities. The relevant ministries and authorities are preparing for the rapid implementation of the project across multiple localities. The aim is to provide high-quality solutions without the need for bureaucracy or individual bargaining with contractors. 'There is no need to deal with contractors, receive price quotes, or monitor work; the entire process is managed by the state, including financing, supervision, and execution,' they announced. As part of the announcement, the group clarified that people who have difficulty contacting authorities or finding contractors will receive additional support from the government. Local authorities will map the areas targeted for renovations, and they will then contact the residents and offer them the option of going through the government track. The local authority will forward the tenants' details to the Compensation Fund, and representatives of the fund will check that they meet the conditions and then contact them. 'There is no need to contact the Compensation Fund directly to join the track,' they said. The fund will assess the damage and transfer the compensation money to the designated management company, which will transfer it to the operating contractor and supervise the work. Shai Aharonovich, director of the Tax Authority, noted that the amount of claims his organization is facing is on a scale previously unseen. 'We are currently facing an unprecedented challenge of responding to approximately 45,000 claims for direct damage, of which approximately 35,000 are claims for structural damage. We take a large number of damages, consolidate them into one complex, and bring in a large construction company to handle them all at once,' he noted. 'This also allows us to involve companies in the restoration process that do not usually handle specific damage to a single structure, and also saves citizens the hassle of dealing with the authorities regarding the restoration and receiving compensation.'
