The organisation is founded and led by food blogger and former Advance New Zealand candidate Claire Deeks, Libby Jonson and Alia Bland.

[3][4] Voices for Freedom has been criticised by NZ Skeptics, The Spinoff editor Madeleine Chapman, and "FACT Aotearoa" for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccinations.

[9] The organisation's financial sources remain opaque, having spent large amounts on promotion and court cases, but claims to have received donations from "thousands of concerned Kiwis".

[10][11] In March 2021, Voices for Freedom teamed up with the Advance NZ party to distribute a magazine called The Real News promoting conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines, using discredited internet-based sources.

[15] In late April 2021, Voices for Freedom distributed a 29-page 'COVID Response Survival Kit' questioning the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and minimising the danger posed by SARS-CoV-2.

[11] In mid-May 2021, Deeks claimed that the VFF had raised NZ$50,000 towards printing two million virus "fact flyers" which it intended to distribute nationwide.

Meanwhile, lawyer Mark von Dadelszen cautioned against donating to Voices for Freedom since it was neither a registered charity nor an incorporated society with a formal structure.

In response, co-founder Bland claimed that Facebook had silenced them since they were reaching half a million people each month and alleged that the Government and mainstream media were spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

However, the ASA did not uphold a complaint against a fourth billboard published in February 2022 highlighting a Dunedin man who had died from an adverse vaccine reaction in late 2021.

[21][22] The group's three core leaders Deeks, Bland and Libby Jonson each have a 33.33% stake in the company, which was registered as NZ Media Ventures Limited.

[23][22] Notable hosts include former ACT Party leader Rodney Hide, former TVNZ broadcaster Peter Williams, anti-vaccine influencer Chantelle Baker, former Radio New Zealand broadcaster Paul Brennan, VFF activist and local councillor Jaspreet Bosparai, former Federated Farmers president Don Nicholson and former Green Party candidate Natalie Cutler-Welsh,[21][22] The station has promoted anti-woke, anti-transgender content, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and climate change denial.

[25] In February 2021, Peter Williams had encouraged listeners on his Magic Talk radio station to visit Voices for Freedom's website, agreeing with their opposition to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and support for ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19.

[21] By March 2021, Voices for Freedom had established a partnership with 'Covid Plan B', a group of anti-lockdown health professionals and academics led by University of Auckland epidemiologist Simon Thornley.

[41] On 3 November 2021, Voices for Freedom advertised an event at Newbury School in Palmerston North for people seeking vaccine exemptions.

[6] On 28 June 2022, NZFF staged protests outside hospitals in 12 major centres including the Hawke's Bay region calling for the Government to lifts its vaccine mandate requirement for nurses.

[7] On 18 August 2022, Stuff journalist Andrea Vance reported that a Northland-based electoral ticket body called "Sovereign" was running for the Far North District Council.

"[46][45] Notable VFF candidates included Gill Booth and Southland dairy farmer Jaspreet Boparai, who claimed that local councils were following orders from the United Nations' Agenda 2030.

[46] On 16 August, Stuff reported that five VFF-affiliated candidates were running for the Christchurch City Council including Sally Cogle, Colleen Farrelly, Mike Wilson, Rob Gray, and Don Cross.

In response, Justice Minister Kiri Allan expressed concerns about political forces wanting to intervene in New Zealand elections and stated that electoral staff should operate without bias.

[48] On 22 August, the Taranaki Daily News reported that VFF's head of national operations Tane Webster was running for a seat in the New Plymouth District Council (NPDC).

Other NPDC candidates including Murray Chong, sitting councillor Anneka Carlson, Monica Hylton, and Caro McKee have taken part in anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown protests but claimed they were not affiliated with Voices for Freedom.

[51] On 28 August, Stuff reported that several Groundswell NZ activists including Whangārei convenor Tracy Thomasson and James Wolfen Duvall were also members of Voices for Freedom.

[53] On 21 September, Taupō District Council candidate Duncan Campbell acknowledged that he supported Voices for Freedom's positions and had attended their meetings.