when trying to send a text to a new contact it says they aren
When trying to send a text on my iPad, to a new contact, it says they aren’t on I message.
I can text from my iPhone though
iPad, iOS 10
To send and receive SMS messages from your iPad, you must explicitly enable Text Message Forwarding for your iPad on your iPhone. If not enabled - or if you don’t have an iPhone signed-in to iCloud with the same AppleID - then you can only send Messages to other users of Apple devices.
On your iPhone:
Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding - set to ON - and explicitly enable your iPad from the list of devices.
Also ensure that Messages in iCloud is enabled on both your iPhone and iPad:
Settings > [Your Name / AppleID] > Messages - set to ON
More information:
Fault finding if needed:
If you can't send or receive messages on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
I hope you find this to helpful in resolving the issue.